S: Sensory & food quality JFS S: Sensory and Food Quality Glycemic Responses and Sensory Characteristics of Whole Yellow Pea Flour Added to Novel Functional Foods CHRISTOPHER P.F. MARINANGELI,AMIRA N. KASSIS, AND PETER J.H. JONES ABSTRACT: A fundamental understanding regarding postprandial glycemic responses to foods containing whole yellow-pea flour (WYPF) remains unknown. This, alongside concerns that WYPF possesses unfavorable sensory characteristics has limited the incorporation of WYPF into new functional food products as a healthy novel ingre- dient. The objective of this study was to evaluate how WYPF modulates postprandial glycemic responses as well as sensory characteristics in novel foods. In a single-blind crossover trial, the present study assessed postprandial glycemic responses of banana bread, biscotti, and spaghetti containing either WYPF or whole wheat flour (WWF). Boiled yellow peas (BYP) and white bread (WB) were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. On day 1, subjects evaluated appearance, taste, texture, smell as well as overall acceptance of each WYPF and WWF food on a 5-point hedonic scale. WYPF banana bread (97.9 ± 17.8 mmol·min/L) and biscotti (83 ± 13 mmol·min/L), as well as BYP (112.3 ± 19.9 mmol·min/L), reduced (P < 0.05) glycemic responses compared to WB (218.1 ± 29.5 mmol·min/L). The glycemic response of WYPF pasta (160.7 ± 19.4 mmol·min/L) was comparable to WB. WYPF biscotti produced a lower (P = 0.019) postprandial glycemic response compared to WWF biscotti (117.2 ± 13.1 mmol·min/L). Hedo- nic responses between corresponding foods were similar except for the WYPF pasta (2.9 ± 0.9) which possessed a lower sensory score (P = 0.02) for smell compared to WWF pasta (3.6 ± 1). WYPF can be used to produce low- glycemic functional foods possessing sensory attributes that are comparable to identical food products containing WWF. Keywords: diabetes, functional food, glycemic response, pea flour, sensory Introduction P ulses, including yellow peas, are readily available, low-cost commodities that are gaining considerable momentum as functional ingredients possessing health benefits since they are high in fiber, protein, antioxidants, and low in fat (Champ 2002; Leterme 2002). Lifestyle interventions have been shown to be more effective in preventing type II diabetes compared to prescription medications (Knowler and others 2002). As incidence rates of type II diabetes continue to climb, new novel ingredients that produce low-glycemic food products are in demand (Desrochers and Brauer 2001). Consumption of whole pulses has been shown to lower post- prandial glycemic responses (Jenkins and others 1983); however, their addition to foods often produces unfavorable sensory char- acteristics. To date, few studies have examined the feasibility of producing food products containing pulse-derived ingredients that reduce postprandial glycemic responses, lower glycemic indexes (GI), and at the same time possess sensory qualities that appeal to consumers. Since yellow peas are readily available and relatively inexpensive, they are a promising candidate for use as novel in- gredients for the development of low-glycemic, consumer-friendly functional foods. The objective of the present study was to first determine the postprandial glycemic response and GI of novel foods containing whole yellow pea flour (WYPF) as a functional ingredient. The 2nd MS 20090324 Submitted 4/10/2009, Accepted 7/2/2009. Authors are with Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, Univ. of Man- itoba, 196 Innovation Drive, Winnipeg MB, R3T 2N2, Canada. Direct in- quiries to author Jones (E-mail: Peter jones@umanitoba.ca). objective was to determine the acceptability of sensory character- istics for each WYPF food product. Materials and Methods Study subjects Twenty-two healthy men (n = 7) and nonlactating women (n = 15) between the ages of 22 and 67, and BMI’s between 21 and 42 kg/m 2 were included in the study. Individuals with histories of heart disease, diabetes, thyroid disease, celiac disease, or gluten in- tolerance, smokers, chronic alcohol use (> 2 drinks/d), or those taking corticosteroid medications were excluded from participat- ing. Prior to initiating the study, subjects signed an informed consent form. The present study was approved by the Univ. of Manitoba’s Biomedical Research Ethics Board and is registered at clinicaltrials.gov, ID NCT00877968. Food products Banana bread, biscotti, and pasta (spaghetti) treatment formu- lations are summarized in Table 1. Banana bread and biscotti were developed and prepared at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods (RCFFN) clinical kitchen. Each food was prepared using ei- ther 100% WYPF or 100% whole wheat flour (WWF) as their pri- mary ingredient. WYPF was provided by Best Cooking Pulses Inc. (Portage la Prairie, MB, Canada), while WWF was purchased locally. The test spaghetti was produced by the Canadian Intl. Grains Inst. (CIGI) using 30% WYPF, while the balance of the flour weight was white wheat durum. Whole wheat spaghetti was purchased locally and produced with 100% whole wheat durum. All spaghettis were prepared at the RCFFN clinical kitchen. C  2009 Institute of Food Technologists R  Vol. 74, Nr. 9, 2009—JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE S385 doi: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2009.01347.x Further reproduction without permission is prohibited