Barley for Food and Health: Science, Technology, and Products

228 GLOSSARY: FOOD AND NUTRITION
Incretin: Gastrointestinal hormone that increases insulin release from the pancreas,
and may also slow gastric emptying.
Insulin: A hormone secreted by alpha cells of the pancreas in response to low
blood sugar.
LDL cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein carrying cholesterol in the blood
(often called “bad cholesterol”).
Nonstarch polysaccharides: Carbohydrates that are not digested by human
enzymes; generally considered dietary fiber components.
Organoleptic: Responding to sensory stimuli; sensory testing of food products.
Pasting: Phenomenon following gelatinization in the dissolution of starch, ending
in the disruption of granules.
Phenols, polyphenols: Flavonoid compounds with phenyl ring structures; plant
pigments found in the seed.
Postprandial: After a meal, absorptive state.
Reducing sugars: Sugars containing a hemiacetyl group that brings about reduction
and is oxidized in the process.
Rheology: The change in form and flow of matter, involving elasticity, viscosity,
and plasticity.
Retrogradation: After heating, followed by rapid cooling or freezing of starch,
especially amylose, causing aggregation of molecules.
Satiety: The feeling of having had enough to eat, being satisfied.