Suppressive effects of sugarcane molasses concentrate on starch-induced hyperglycemia in mice

Molasses is a by-product from refining sugarcane beets into sugar. In this study, we assessed the inhibitory effect of sugarcane molasses concentrate (SMC) on postprandial hyperglycemia using a mouse model. Starch administration into male ICR mice increased blood glucose levels, reaching a peak 60 min after administration. The simultaneous administration of SMC markedly suppressed this increase, and the area under the curve was reduced until 240 min after administration. Simultaneous administration of an ethanol-precipitated fraction (EtFr) of SMC with starch also exerted significant inhibitory effects. Ad libitum consumption of Et-Fr for 6 weeks did not exert any changes on fasting blood glucose levels. In vitro experiments showed that SMC and Et-Fr significantly inhibited a-glucosidase but not a-amylase activity. These results suggest that SMC has the potential to suppress postprandial hyperglycemia via inhibition of a-glucosidase.