Within each of the four food groupings discussed above the foods varied somewhat in the proportions of the carbohydrate frac- tions that they contained. However, the average RAC, SDS and IDS values for each of the food groupings (Fig. 2), showed a decreasing proportion of RAC and increasing SDS as one moved across the food groupings from A to D. The high IDS content typical of the pulses is again evident.
The distribution of glucose equivalents between the three frac- tions, RAC, SDS and IDS, in the various foods reflected their diges- tion kinetics (Fig. 3). White bread and cornflakes were rapidly digested; 80% carbohydrate digestion had occurred at 20 min and their digestogram had reached a plateau at 60 min. The pastas and pearl barley were 20–60% digested at 20 min but their diges- tion profile was well short of a plateau at 60 min, at which point they were about 60% digested, on average. The pulses had a quite distinct digestion profile. In contrast to the bakery products and pastas, which gave parabolic digestion curves, the course of diges- tion for the pulses was almost linear, progressing steadily from zero to the 120 min cut off.