SERVICES

GIycemic Index

 Testing Services


GLYCAEMIC INDEX NEW ZEALAND is a research centre accredited by the Glycemic Index Foundation in Australia. Our glycemic index testing follows the protocol of the ISO 26642:201(E) and the Determination of the glycemic index (GI) and recommendation for food classification and the Australian Standard (AS 4694-2007)  for the Glycemic Index (GI) of foods

How is GI Measured?

To measure the GI of a food, a human study is required, which involves recruitment of 12 study participants and fasting for 10 hours the night before testing and feeding them a portion of food that contains 50 (or 25 grams) of digestible carbohydrate.


A glucose reference food is tested first over three (3) separate occasions and then your food product will be tested. The amount of carbohydrate in the reference food and the test food must be the same. Blood samples are taken regularly over two hours on each testing occasion to measure blood glucose response to the foods. The test food is then compared to the reference food and expressed as a percentage. An average GI using the results of all 12 participants is calculated. The GI value of the test food will be categorised as either low (55 or less),  medium (56-69) or high (70+).



Determining the Available Carbohydrate in your Product

Before sending your test food to us, you need to have your food product tested for its Available Carbohydrate per 100 grams in a Food Laboratory. We use the value of this to calculate a 50 grams (or 25 grams) of digestible carbohydrate serving. This is the quantity of food that we feed to each participant.  We cannot tell you how much test food we require until the laboratory analyses your food for direct determination of available carbohydrate.

Inform the Food Laboratory that you need the nutrient analyses for GI testing and get both Direct Determination of Available Carbohydrate as well as the Nutrition Information Panel.


How long does testing take and what documentation do you receive?

The timeline to complete a test for one product variant is usually 2 weeks from the date of delivery of the test food to the final report. A service agreement contract between  Glycaemic Index New Zealand and your company is required to be signed before commencement of any GI testing. 

An electronic report is provided on completion of GI testing. 


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