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The growing popularity of low-carb cereal-based products: the lay of the land

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Abstract

The low-carb food trend keeps growing as a healthy option despite the absence of a health/ nutrition claim associated with carbohydrate content. Given the high carbohydrate content and popularity of cereal-based products, it is crucial to explore their reduction in this category through scientific literature and global market analysis. In this study, the low-carb cereal-based products were analyzed in depth. Literature search was conducted to retrieve all the publications about low-carb cereal-based products considering a range of time from 2000 until 2022. Using the same keywords, market search retrieved all product launches having the low-carb mention on their labels. Low-carb interest grew gradually, and it was evident in scientific literature and market launches. Bibliometric analysis showed that North America was the most prolific region in terms of publication number. Retrieved cereal-based products (bakery products, pasta and noodles, alongside snacks) were analyzed nutritionally to compare regular low-carb products to those gluten free. High diversity was found among the products due to the absence of regulation and statistically often significant differences were found in energy, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein contents. Overall, low-carb trends should be approached with caution and the carbohydrate type and portion should be carefully evaluated.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the authors upon request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

    Nicola Gasparre & Cristina M. Rosell

  2. Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC), Paterna, Spain

    Cristina M. Rosell

  3. ClonBio Group Ltd, 6 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin, Ireland

    Fatma Boukid

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  1. Nicola Gasparre
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  2. Cristina M. Rosell
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  3. Fatma Boukid
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The authors’ responsibilities were as follows: NG was responsible for the concept and for the original draft of this paper; CMR and FB drafted, reviewed, and provided a critical review of the paper. All authors contributed to and agreed on the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Nicola Gasparre.

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Gasparre, N., Rosell, C.M. & Boukid, F. The growing popularity of low-carb cereal-based products: the lay of the land. Eur Food Res Technol 250, 455–467 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-023-04399-3

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