Carbohydrates, the primary energy source in the human diet, were digested into monosaccharides (mainly glucose and fructose) by mucosal α-glucosidases in the small intestine, and then delivered to the body through various types of glucose transporters. Though its high efficiency as an energy source, the blood glucose spike after the high ingestion of glycemic-carbohydrate based-foods causes metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes by generating high stress on the regulatory system of glucose homeostasis. Thus, there is a lot of interest in producing carbohydrate-based materials that can attenuate the postprandial-blood glucose level within an extending glucose delivery, called slowly digestible carbohydrates. Furthermore, previous research revealed that slowly digestible carbohydrates have the potential to regulate glucose homeostasis, and trigger the “ileal brake” reaction, which stimulates the release of peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide-1 to control satiety level.

In 2015, the 'Carbohydrate Biotechnology Laboratory' was opened in the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Gachon University, Seongnam, South Korea. Our research group has been focused on controlling carbohydrate digestion to attenuate the post-prandial glucose spike by extending glycemic response with various approaches.

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