Background: The nutrition transition in India has increased dependence on ready-to-eat breakfast products, many of which are refined cereal-based and may produce rapid postprandial glycaemic responses. Millets and blue pea flower (Clitoria ternatea) and a value-added ingredient offer a relevant route to develop convenient breakfast cereals with improved carbohydrate quality, natural colour and functional value.
Objectives: To develop blue pea flower (BPF) incorporated millet and whey protein-based extruded breakfast cereals and evaluate the glycaemic index (GI) of the most acceptable formulation.
Methods: Breakfast cereals were formulated using ragi, kodri, whey protein concentrate and blue pea flower powder at 0% and 5%. Ten healthy adults aged 18-25 years participated in the GI study following ISO 26642:2010. After overnight fasting, participants consumed reference glucose and test portions providing 50 g available carbohydrate. Capillary blood glucose was measured at fasting, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes and incremental area under the curve was calculated by the trapezoidal method.
Results: The reference glucose produced a higher and sharper blood glucose peak than both cereal samples. The control cereal (0% blue pea flower) and the 5% blue pea flower cereal recorded GI values of 53 and 51, respectively; both were classified as low-GI foods.
Conclusion: The developed blue pea flower-incorporated millet breakfast cereal demonstrated low glycaemic potential despite extrusion processing. The product is relevant as a convenient, naturally coloured, millet-based functional breakfast option. Larger studies in metabolically at-risk groups are warranted before disease-specific claims are made.