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.
research AREA
Development of the carbohydrate digestion model with mammalian digestive enzymes
Enzymatic syntheses of slowly digestible carbohydrates with tailor-made modifications
Attenuate the post-prandial glucose spike by extending glycemic response by natural/synthetic α-glucosidase inhibitors
Production of slowly digestible exo-polysaccharides (EPSs) from various microbial sources and applications as functional ingredients
Lab opportunities
2024년 3월 기준, 대학원에 진학하고 싶은 학부 3학년 1학기 학생들의 지원을 기다립니다.