Effect of Functional Food Cookies Using Rice Bran and Okara on Postprandial Glycemia

Rice bran and okara are fiber-rich food ingredients with potential functional food applications. This study evaluated the palatability and postprandial glycemic responses in healthy young women to cookies containing rice bran or okara. In a trial of randomized crossover design, participants consumed butter, rice bran, and okara cookies and a sucrose solution containing equivalent amounts of available carbohydrates (50 g). Postprandial glucose responses were assessed using continuous glucose monitoring for 3 h, and sensory acceptability was evaluated using a blind taste test. Rice bran cookies showed acceptability comparable to that of butter cookies and higher than that of okara cookies. Postprandial glucose responses differed among the test foods, with the sucrose solution producing the most rapid glucose fluctuations, whereas the rice bran cookies exhibited a more gradual glycemic profile. These findings suggest that food composition and structure may influence postprandial glucose responses and that further investigation is warranted regarding rice bran-containing cookies as a food product associated with a more stable postprandial glycemic profile.