Research backing claims that the South Australian developed low GI Carisma potato is a world first will be presented at an international nutrition conference in Spain this month.
Carisma is the first potato to be internationally certified low GI and is currently commercially available to consumers.
It was developed by Virginia market gardener Frank Mitolo and Australia's Glycemic Index (GI) Foundation using natural breeding processes.
PhD candidate and GI researcher Kai Lin Ek, who works in the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment at the University of Sydney, will present a paper at the International Congress of Nutrition in Granada in September, on Carisma.
"Potatoes tend to get bad press as they are generally classified as a high GI carbohydrate but our research has discovered that Carisma has half the blood glucose response compared to other potato varieties.”
GI Foundation's chief scientific officer Dr Alan Barclay said Carisma’s Glycemic index of 55 is between 30 per cent and 50 per cent less than other mainstream potato varieties such as Desiree, Russet Burbank and Bintje.
"We have undertaken exhaustive testing using the ISO testing standard and we are satisfied that Carisma is unique," he said.
Barclay said its other big advantage was that it is commercially available.
“Coles has made it a convenient choice for consumers, and that means it will play a more important role in assisting in the management of diabetes and heart disease," he said.
The Glycemic Index Foundation is a not-for-profit charity committed to providing Australians with information and tools to improve their health through scientifically-backed low GI healthy eating principles.
Barclay said the Carisma potato came out of a collaborative search for an innovative potato grower who could meet the potential demand.
"We have been fortunate to work with the Mitolo family," Barclay said.
"The family has been growing vegetables for several generations and after more than a dozen tests we were convinced that Carisma was going to be a world first.
"Fortunately they are large growers so they could expand production fairly quickly," he said.
Sales and marketing director of the Mitolo Group, Frank Mitolo, said Carisma was naturally bred using a process where positive characteristics were selected and combined.
"We thought this new variety had less starch but was still a good all purpose potato for boiling, roasting and mashing," he said.
"The tests confirmed that we had something special and it then took a few years to build up the volumes so we could distribute it to a major supermarket chain.
"The partnership with Coles has been excellent. They can see the benefits of having a low GI alternative positioned alongside other potatoes and we have invested in the packaging to make it easy for the consumer to choose," Mitolo said.
The South Australian-developed low GI Carisma potato. Low GI claims are now backed by research.
