Glycemic Index of Commonly Consumed Snack Foods in Oman

Objective: Study the effect of Omani coffee on the glycemic responses and glycemic index (GI) of commonly consumed snack foods in Oman. Methods: We evaluated 9 Omani snack foods including doughnut, croissant, cheese, chicken and fried egg sandwiches, sambosa (vegetables), fried and boiled vermicelli, white bread with red beans for their proximate composition and GI. The proximate composition was determined according to AOAC,[1] whereas GI was measured in 12 healthy human volunteers as described by Wolever et al.[2] Results: The proximate composition of snack foods differed significantly (P < 0.05). The moisture, crude protein and fat contents in foods ranged from 21.9 to 67.5%, 4.3 to 17% and 2.7 to 23.4 %, respectively. Almost similar blood glucose responses were observed when snack foods were given with either water or Omani coffee. Significant (P < 0.05) differences were observed in the GI of these foods, which ranged between medium and high GI category. The GI of these foods (with water) ranged between 60 and 75, whereas with Omani coffee the GI values ranged between 64 and 78. Higher GI values were observed for doughnut and cheese sandwich, whereas sambosa (vegetables) showed the lowest value. Overall, no significant (P < 005) differences were observed in the GI of snack foods when served either with water or with Omani coffee. Conclusion: The GI of Omani snack foods differed significantly. However, Omani coffee did not affect the GI of these snack foods.