• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.682-688
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to measure the blood glucose level and glycemic index (GI) in response to persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb) syrup extracted from persimmon and extract of persimmon by-products. Major component analyses of persimmon syrup I (PSI, 95:5 mixture of purified persimmon syrup and non-purified persimmon syrup) and persimmon syrup II (PSII, 50:50 mixture ratio of purified persimmon syrup and non-purified persimmon syrup) were $0.3{\pm}0.1$ and $0.6{\pm}0.2$ mg/g for total polyphenolic compounds and $70.6{\pm}0.6$ and $66.6{\pm}1.6%$ for total carbohydrates, respectively. Blood glucose responses of PSI and PSII were determined using both normal ICR mice and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Further, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed on diabetic rats to assess the effects of the experimental diets. Blood glucose response and OGTT showed that blood glucose levels were significantly lower in mice and diabetic rats fed PSI and PSII compared to those fed diets of sugar, maple syrup, or honey. The GIs of healthy volunteers in response to PSI and PSII were calculated to be 51.9 and 35.7, respectively. On the contrary, the GIs of healthy volunteers fed diets including sugar, maple syrup, or honey were 52.6, 20.0, and 93.0, respectively. These results suggest that persimmon syrup can be used for both the treatment of diabetics and healthy people due to its beneficial effects on blood glucose level.