Interest Growing in ‘Diabetic’ Bread

Europe’s largest supplier of specialty baking products has weighed in on the global health debate, acquiring a stake in an Australian-Malaysian clean label ingredient firm.

Swiss-based Veripan has been offered up to 10 per cent of Perth-based biotech company Holista Colltech, which develops natural ‘healthstyle’ products.

Veripan chair Miert Grootes said Holista’s research into clean label and low-GI bread was “revolutionary”, and he intends to make it available to food manufacturers around the world.

In January, Holista claimed a global scientific breakthrough when it developed ingredients to produce a white bread with a glycaemic index (GI) of 53 – the lowest in the world for such a product.

The company said its blend significantly reduced the high blood sugar levels caused by consuming white bread and other traditional bakery products.

The claims have been validated by the University of Sydney, which confirmed white bread blended with Holista’s GI Lite formula – which contains extracts of okra, lentils, barley and fenugreek – and a natural sourdough by Veripan, registered the lowest GI level ever achieved by any clean label white ‘Diabetic’ bread.