The European Food Safety Agency has recently published an opinion on the substantiation of a health claim on beta-glucans from oats and/or barley and the reduction of blood-glucose rise after consumption. This health claim has been submitted by Nestlé S.A. pursuant to article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.

The claimed effect was the reduction in blood glucose response after the consumption of 1.3 g of beta-glucan from oats and/or barley in ready-to-eat breakfast cereals manufactured by pressure cooking. EFSA recognized that one human study demonstrated the efficacy of beta-glucans under the proposed conditions of use for the reduction in post-prandial glycaemic response, without affecting significantly insulin responses. EFSA also indicated that the effects of beta-glucans in reducing post-prandial blood glucose responses was well-established.

However, despite this, EFSA concluded that evidences were insufficient to establish the effects of beta-glucans under the proposed conditions of use.

EFSA NDA Panel (EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel foods and Food allergen),Turck D, Castenmiller J, De Henauw S, Hirsch-Ernst KI, Kearney J, Knutsen HK, Maciuk A, MangelsdorfI, McArdle HJ, Naska A, Pelaez C, Pentieva K, Thies F, Tsabouri S, Vinceti M, Bresson J-L and Siani A,2021. Beta-glucans from oats and/or barley in a ready-to-eat cereal manufactured via pressure cooking and reduction of blood-glucose rise after consumption: evaluation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal 2021;19(4):6493.