A Chilean research project is developing a seaweed-based extract to create pasta that lowers blood sugar spikes, potentially transforming the way staple foods are fortified for health benefits without altering taste or texture.
A Chilean research project is exploring whether compounds drawn from local seaweed can be used to make pasta less likely to cause sharp rises in blood sugar. According to The Clinic, the extract is designed to slow the release of glucose during digestion while leaving the pasta’s taste, smell and mouthfeel unchanged.
The work centres on brown seaweed from Chile’s coast, where researchers believe bioactive compounds could help change the way starch is broken down. Ingrid Contardo, a doctor in engineering sciences and an associate researcher at the Biomedical Research and Innovation Centre at the University of the Andes, told The Clinic that the aim is to make starch harder to break apart, which would slow hydrolysis and reduce the amount of glucose released.
That approach fits into a wider food-science effort to produce familiar products with a lower glycaemic impact. Research and product data from other seaweed-based ingredients suggest the idea has commercial and scientific precedent: a polyphenol-rich seaweed fraction marketed for starch reduction has been reported to lower the glycaemic index of rice, while studies of seaweed-enriched pasta have found changes in texture and colour without a major loss in overall quality.
The Chilean team’s challenge is to preserve the sensory qualities that make pasta acceptable to consumers. Contardo also noted that preparation matters, arguing that eating seaweed raw may limit how much the body can break down and absorb. If the extract proves effective in further testing, it could add a functional ingredient to a staple food without requiring major changes to how people eat it.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
