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The Effect of Processing on the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of Maize
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Nigerian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
25 (2): 46 - 52, 2010.Oboh
ISSN 0189-4757
& Ogbebor - Glycemic index & glycemic load of processed maze
Available online at http://www.njbmb.researchjournals.org

Effect of Processing on the Glycemic Index and Glycemic

Load of Maize (Zea mays)
*Henrietta A. Oboh and V. O. Ogbebor.
Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Basic Medical Science,
College of Medicine, University of Benin, Benin, Nigeria.
*Corresponding Author. E-mail: hettyoboh2002@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
The glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of processed maize (Zea mays) were determined. Maize was
processed by boiling (Boiled maize, Bm) and roasting (Roasted maize, Rm), to produce the test samples. 30
healthy, non-diabetic subjects were used for the study. The proximate analyses of the processed samples were
determined and the amount that will deliver 50g carbohydrate load were administered to the subjects after an
overnight fast of 12hr.Control subjects were given 50g glucose while the other subjects were fed with the test
foods, respectively. Blood samples were collected at 0min, 30min, 60min, 120min and 180min, thereafter, glu-
cose response curves were constructed. The results revealed that Bm had a significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lower GI and
GL of 21 and 8, respectively, while Rm was 39 and 14. Lower glycemic response to processed starchy foods
have beneficial health effects. The study showed that boiled maize should be the preferred choice for diabetic
patients.
Keywords: Maize (Zea mays), boling, roasting, post prandial blood glucose ,glycemic load, glycemic index
INTRODUCTION conflicting reports in the literature about how
Maize (Zea mays) is a cereal grain commonly processing methods affect the GI of foods. Ba-
referred to as corn in Nigeria. Maize plays an gado-singh et al, (2006), reported that roasting
important part in the diets of many and it is com- and baking of west Indian carbohydrate rich
monly eaten in the middle belt and southern parts foods resulted in higher GI diet, while Oboh and
of Nigeria (Okoh,1998).The proximate nutrient Erema ( 2010), observed that roasting of plantain
composition of maize grain varieties and the ef- results in a lower GI diet.
fects of processing have been reported(Iken and This study was designed to determine the Glyce-
Amusa, 2004; Otitoju, 2009). It is a rich source of mic index, Glycemic load and Glycemic response
nutrients (Graham and Welch, 2000). of processed maize in non-diabetic healthy vol-
Maize (fresh and dry) is utilized in Nigerian unteers.
household for the preparation of various dishes. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Nigerians consume maize after using different Materials
types of processing methods which include cook- Proximate analysis and serving size for proc-
ing, roasting, puffing, milling, soaking and essed Maize.
steaming. Due to its abundance, and its use as a The processed Maize (Boiled and roasted) were
staple and a snack, the knowledge of the Glyce- mechanically removed from the cob and the ker-
mic index (GI) and load (GL) of some of the nels analyzed for moisture content, ash, crude
processed forms will be beneficial in the preven- protein, and crude fiber by the AOAC (1995)
tion and management of metabolic disease such methods. Carbohydrate was determined by differ-
as Diabetes mellitus. ence. The serving size that will deliver 50gms of
The Glycemic index measures the propensity of a carbohydrate was given to subjects as test foods.
food to increase blood sugar rapidly(Jenkins et Preparation and production of processed
al,2002).Low glycemic index foods produce a samples.
more gradual rise in blood sugar and are associ- Boiled maize( Bm)
ated with reduced risk of diabetes, cardiovascular The ears of dehusked maize (20kg) were boiled
disease and cancer (Sloth et al,2004).The Glyce- in 10L of tap water, for one hour at a temperature
mic load is the amount of carbohydrate in the of 1000C.The water was drained off and the
serving size of a particular food (Stern et boiled corn served to subjects.
al,2004). It quantifies the overall glycemic effect Roasted maize (Rm)
of a portion of food (Brand-miller, et al, 2003). Ears of dehusked maize were roasted using the
The Glycemic index of some processed Nigerian Nigerian traditional method. Wire gauze was
foods have been determined (Onimawo et al, placed over red hot charcoal. The ears of the
2007; Omoregie and Osagie; 2008).There are maize were placed on the wire gauze and roasting

© 2010 NSBMB
 Oboh & Ogbebor - Glycemic index & glycemic load of processed maze
was carried out by frequently turning the ears of
the maize to prevent considerable charring of the
kernels on the maize cob. Roasting was done for
10minutes.When the kernels was brown evenly,
the maize was removed and served to subjects.
Experimental Design.
Subjects
Non-diabetic volunteers (n=30; 15males, 15fe-
males, aged 21-30years) were used for the study.
The subjects were students recruited from various
faculties of the University of Benin, Nigeria. The
research was approved by the University’s Re-
search and Ethics Committee of the School of
Basic Medical Science. The study protocol was
carefully explained to all of them before they
signed a written informed consent.
Ten volunteers were fed a single meal of one of
the two test foods. The other 10 persons were
administered 50g glucose in 300ml distilled wa-
ter. The serving size was determined by the quan-
tity that will give 50gm carbohydrate when eaten.
Blood samples were collected before feeding
(0mins) and at 30, 60,120 and 180minutes inter-
vals after the test meal were given. The subjects
were not allowed to perform strenuous activities
or take long walks on the day of GI determina-
tion.
Determination of Blood Glucose concentra-
tion.
Blood was obtained by venipuncture between 9-
10am after an overnight fast of 12hr.The samples
were collected into sterilized centrifuge tubes and
centrifuged for 10 minutes at 4,000rpm and the
sera collected.
Glucose concentration was determined by the
method of Barham and Trinder (1972). GENE-
SYS 10 Spectrophotometer and Randox kit
(CAT.NO.GL364) were used. Briefly, 10µL of
the serum sample was added to 1000µL of the
phenol and 4-aminophenazone reagent in test
tubes, mixed and incubated at 370C in a water
bath for 10 minutes. The absorbance of the col-
ored product was read against a reagent blank.
Analyses were done in duplicate. The glucose
concentrations of the sera were subsequently cal-
Table 1: Anthropometry of Control and Test-groups
Parameter Control Group Boiled maize(Bm)
Age (Years) 22.00 + 0.86 24.83 + 0.40
Height (cm) 1.72 + 4.07 1.75 + 1.62
Weight (kg) 63.67 + 3.30 66.00 + 0.35
BMI (kg/m2) 21.44 + 0.71 21.55 + 0.64
Values are the means ± standard errors of means of 10 individuals per group
47
culated using a standard curve.
Calculation of Glycemic Index (GI) and Glyce-
mic Load (GL).
Blood glucose curves were constructed from
blood glucose values for each individual at 0-
180minutes for the control and test foods of each
group. The incremental areas under the blood
glucose response curve (IAUC) for a 50g carbo-
hydrate portion of each test food and control food
(glucose) was calculated by the trapezoidal rule
(Wolever and Jenkins 1986).The GI and GL val-
ues were calculated by the method of Jenkins et
GL = Net carbohydrate (g) × GI
100
al, (1981) and Salmeron et al,(1997) respectively.
GI for each food was calculated from the formu-
lae:
GI = (IAUC(for test food) / IAUC( for con-
trol food) × 100%.
Net carbohydrate = Total carbohydrate -
Dietary fibre.
The final glycemic index and load for each test
food was calculated as the mean
from the respective average Glycemic indices and
loads of the ten individuals.
Statistical Analysis.
Statistical analysis was done by SPSS 16 Statisti-
cal programme. Results were expressed as mean
± standard error of the means.
Comparisons between test foods and control were
done by one- way analysis of variance. Statistical
significant was set at p ≤ 0.05.
RESULTS
Table 1, shows the mean Ages and BMI of the
subjects (21.29 to 21.55 kg/m2) which are all
within the normal range.
The proximate analyses of test foods are repre-
sented in Table 2. Boiling significantly (P < 0.05)
reduced the carbohydrate content than roasting.
However, moisture was significantly (P < 0.05)
increased in boiled corn compared to the roasted
maize.
Roasted maize (Rm)
24.00 + 0.76
1.76 + 0.02
66.44 + 3.31
21.29 + 0.84
 Oboh & Ogbebor - Glycemic index & glycemic load of processed maze

maize. and decreased significantly (p< 0.05) after 120-

Lipids, ash, fiber and protein did not differ sig- 180minutes(Figure 2).The control subjects
nificantly at (p > 0.05). Oboh et al, 2010, re- showed a significant increase in blood glucose
ported that crude fibre was significantly reduced after 30minutes which decreased significantly (p<
(p < 0.05) in roasted maize. Our result is in 0.05) thereafter.

Table 2: Proximate Analysis of the Processed Maize (Zea Mays) in Dry Weight Percent
Sample Lipid Ash Fiber Crude Protein Carbohydrate Moisture

Boiled
maize (Bm). 6.05+ 0.45a 1.00 + 0.02a 2.03 + 0.10a 1.03 + 0.19a 39.40+ 0.87a 50.50 + 0.50b
Roasted
maize (Rm) 7.40. + 1.0a 1.00 + 0.02a 1.39 + 0.24a 1.41 + 0.18a 43.05+ 1.83b 45.75 + 1.25a
Values are the means + standard errors of means (SEM) of four (4) determinants
Mean values within the same column followed by different superscript are significantly different (p < 0.05) by student t-test.

Table 3: Weight of Carbohydrate and Serving Sizes in 100g of the Processed Maize (Zea Mays) Used for Gly-
cemic Index Determination
Food samples Weight of Carbohydrate in 100g Serving size of processed (g)
of processed Food (g)
Boiled Maize (Bm). 44.50 112.58
Roasted Maize (Rm). 48.17 103.80
Values within the same column with different superscript are significantly different at (p < 0.05)

Table 4 : Blood Glucose Concentration (Mg/Dl) of Subjects

Group 0min 30min 60min 120min 180min

Control 84.50 + 1.26a 141.85 + 1.85b 96.33 + 2.42c 92.17 + 2.55d 94.17 + 5.80adc
Boiled
94.33 + 1.05a 103.50 + 2.34b 96.00 + 0.82ac 96.33 +1.33acd 97.00+1.79acde
maize (Bm).
Roasted
maize (Rc). 95.83 + 0.70a 101.17 + 1.78b 107.22 + 1.71c 94.33 + 1.84ad 94.33 + 1.31adc

Values are means + SEM for Ten individuals per group for the five determinations.
Values within the same row with different superscript are significantly different at (p < 0.05)
agreement with their finding.
The carbohydrate content per 100g of test food
and serving sizes are represented in Table 3, for
boiled and roasted maize. There were no signifi-
cant differences at
(P >0.05) between the carbohydrate content per
100g for boiled corn and roasted maize.
The serving sizes required to deliver 50gram car-
bohydrate for both boiled and roasted, test foods
were different. The boiled maize had a larger
serving size.
Table 4, represents blood glucose response of
subjects after eating the test foods. Subjects who
ate the boiled Maize showed that blood glucose
increased significantly at 30 minutes and did not
decrease significantly at (p > 0.05) after 60-
180minutes showing a gradual decrease after
30minutes of food intake (Figure 1).
The subjects who ate roasted corn showed a sig-
nificant increase (p< 0.05) from 30-60minutes
Table 5, shows the GI and GL of test foods.
Roasted maize had a significantly higher
(P<0.05) GI and GL than Boiled maize.
DISCUSSION
The processing methods used in Nigeria affect
both the nutrient compositions and Glycemic re-
sponses (Jimoh et al, 2008). The boiled maize
had a significantly lower (p< 0.05) carbohydrate
content than roasted corn. This is because the
carbohydrate content was proportionately re-
duced as moisture increased. It could be possible
that the boiling led to the leaching of some carbo-
hydrates and soluble sugars(glucose and fructose)
into the cook water ( FAO,1993). The increase in
moisture in the boiled corn could also be attrib-
uted to the fact that boiling allowed the starch
grains to absorb water. The dry heat used to pro-
duce the roasted corn caused a loss of moisture,
however, the roasted sample produced by dry
heating, showed a reduction in moisture and fibre

48
 Oboh & Ogbebor - Glycemic index & glycemic load of processed maze
Table 5: Glycemic indices and load of processed maize (Zea mays)
Food Samples
Boiled maize (Bm).
Roasted maize (Rm)
Values are the means + standard errors of means (SEM) of ten individuals per group.
150
140
Control
Test
130
C o n c e n tr a tio n in
120
110
m g /d l
100
90
80
0 30 60 120
Time in mins
Fig 1: Graphical representation showing the glucose re-
sponse area for boiled maize (Bm)
for roasted corn.
The mean glucose concentration at the given time
intervals (Table 4, figures1, 2) showed significant
increases (p< 0.05) for boiled and roasted maize
after thirty minutes and one hour respectively.
These differences (for both boiled and roasted
maize), were not enough to form sharp rises and
falls in glucose levels, so the glucose curves
gave a gradual rise and fall due to slow release of
glucose from both food items. The results ob-
tained in this study, showed that the processed
samples were all low GI foods ie below 55. The
GI of boiled corn and roasted corn were signifi-
cantly different (p< 0.05). Englyst et al (2003),
reported that an excess of water and high heating
duration during processing caused gelatinization,
destroying starch granules, and making digestion
by amylase and the subsequent release of glu-
cose fast. However, the slow glucose release
could be attributed to the nature of the fibre
which has indigestible components causing re-
duced digestibility and delayed gastric emptying
(Juntunum et al, 2002).Dietary fibre present in
the boiled maize may be affected in different
ways. The high temperature could break polysac-
charide chains and glycosidic linkages in the die-
tary fibre resulting in the solubilization of the
dietary fibre and formation of resistant starch
fractions which could be retained in the boiled
GI GL
a d
21.32 ± 1.39 8.4 ± 0.55
38.89 ± 0.99b 14.59 ± 0.44d
150
140 Control
Test
C o n c e n t r a t io n in m g /d l
130
120
110
100
90
80
0 30 60 120 180
180
Time in mins
Fig 2: Graphical representation showing the glucose re-
sponse area for roasted maize (Rm)
corn. This will subsequently slow rate of starch
digestion. Antinutrients normally slow digestion
and thereby decrease the GI.(Yoon et al., 1983;
Thompson et al., 1984; Rea et al., 1985).The
antinutrients present in maize could also interfere
with digestibility of starch in the processed maize
grains.(Ejigui et al, 2005)
The tests foods (Boiled and roasted) were chewed
before swallowing. Chewing reduced particle size
and increased the surface area of exposure and
facilitates salivary amylase digestion of carbohy-
drate (Omoregie and Osagie, 2008).
Roasted and baked foods have a higher GI than
fried/boiled meals (Bahado-sigh et al, 2006).
However, our results are in agreement with those
of the authors.
The GI of roasted corn was significantly higher
(p < 0.05) than that of boiled maize. The increase
in blood glucose concentration to a peak, one
hour after consumption of the test food, could be
attributed to the dry heat utilized which led to a
reduction in percentage moisture content and
concentrated the carbohydrate present. The possi-
ble loss of the outer coat covering of the cereal
grains (which has high fibre content) due to some
charring when roasting, could, be a contributory
factor to the higher GI value obtained. The sig-
nificantly (p < 0.05) higher GL (14) of roasted
corn could also be due to the higher carbohydrate
content.
49
 Oboh & Ogbebor - Glycemic index & glycemic load of processed maze
The study showed that boiled corn could be more
beneficial for consumption by diabetics, and per-
sons who want to control their blood glucose con-
centration.
Acknowledgement.
The authors are grateful to Dr. S.I Obahiagbon of
the Central Laboratory National Institute for Oil
Palm Research (NIFOR), Edo State, Nigeria, for
his assistance in carrying out the proximate
analysis of the test samples.
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