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The glycemic index (GI) is an index measuring the quality of carbohydrate in food. To find the glycemic index, people eat food containing 50 grams of the carbohydrate being studied, and the rise in blood sugar as the carbohydrate is digested and absorbed is tracked over 2 hours. Glucose has a glycemic index of 100. When eating food with a high glycemic index, blood sugar rises higher and faster than with food with a low glycemic index.
| Glycemic index | Percent |
| Low | 55 or less |
| Medium | 56 to 69 |
| High | 70 or more |
In an era when Thais are entering Thailand 4.0, rapid economic and social development in the digital era has led Thais to fall ill more often with diabetes, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney disease. In 2015, more than 1,000 million people worldwide and more than 4 million Thais had diabetes, and more than 2 million were in the early stage, creating a medical cost burden of no less than 46,000 million baht per year. An important cause is eating foods with a high glycemic index, which contain carbohydrate, starch and sugar“high” but fiber and antioxidants“low.” Because rice is the main dish of Thais, developing rice varieties and products with a low glycemic index is an approach that can help prevent and solve the epidemic of diabetes in Thailand 4.0 society and for the world's population.
Pin Kaset fragrant rice+4 low glycemic index
‘Pinkaset+4’ was compared with Indian basmati rice in 24 healthy volunteers, and the GI of ‘Pinkaset+4’ was found to be between 52 and 55, while basmati rice has a GI of 74. The glycemic load (GL) of the ‘Pinkaset+4’ selected for testing was between 9.8 and 13.7, while basmati rice has a GL of 13.8. Pinkaset+4 is therefore a new Thai rice variety with low GI and GL, suitable for people with diabetes problems and the obese. In addition, foods made from rice flour, which is a gluten-free diet, are in great demand in the world market.
Pinkaset+4 rice will be a hope for farmers in irrigated areas who want a rice variety with a distinctive product identity that health-conscious consumers want. In addition, growing the new variety will help reduce chemicals used to control diseases and insect pests. Ongoing research is breeding Pinkaset+4 further to build on tolerance of limiting environments, namely hot weather, cold, saline soil and iron toxicity, so that the new rice has yield potential under every growing condition. This research is a prototype for developing rice for lasting health, social and environmental security.
