Determination of Glycemic index and the consumer preference of Borassus flabellifer treacle as an alternative sweetener among a selected group of undergraduates in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The Borassus flabellifer treacle, commonly known as Palmyrah treacle in Sri Lanka, is a well-known local traditional sweetener. This study was performed to determine its glycaemic index (GI) and assess consumer preferences among undergraduate students at KAATSU International University, Sri Lanka. A self-administered questionnaire (n=281) was used to survey participants’ knowledge of diabetes mellitus (DM) and Borassus flabellifer treacle, to collect information regarding consumer purchasing trends, health status, and preferences. For the GI study, 30 healthy undergraduate students from KAATSU International University were selected as subjects. Each participant consumed a food containing 50g of carbohydrates after fasting. Capillary blood was taken at fasting,15,30,45,60, and 120 min after the meal. The GI was calculated by dividing the incremental area under the curve for the treacle by the glucose and multiplying by 100. The study revealed that the majority of respondents (39.9%) have good knowledge regarding treacle consumption, 26.0% of respondents have average knowledge and 34.2% number of respondents have poor knowledge. The GI value of Borassus flabellifer treacle was 61.72±17.44, which belonged to the medium GI category, highlighting its potential role in managing and preventing DM and other non-communicable diseases.

Keywords: Borassus flabellifer treacle, Consumption, Glycemic Index, Undergraduates