Galacto-fructo-oligosaccharide fortification of fermented non-dairy snack enhances calcium absorption in healthy adolescent girls

To evaluate the effect of galacto-fructo-oligosaccharide (G-FOS) fortification of non-dairy snack on relative calcium absorption, 61 girls (15-18 years) were randomly allocated to three equal groups; (i) Group-P, fermented-malted finger-millet pancake with soy coconut dip (snack; 534 mg calcium/serving); (ii) Group-G, snack fortified with G-FOS (8 g); (iii) Group-C: low calcium rice-flakes snack with calcium carbonate (540 mg). Group-G snack had lower pH (5.9) and higher total fatty acid content than group-P. After a 12-h fast, serum ionized calcium (iCa), intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured at 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 h after the ingestion of snack. Increment in area under the curve over baseline (Delta AUC) in iCa was higher in group-G( 9.1%), as compared to group-P(1.4%) (p < 0.05) and group-C(3.1%). PTH Delta AUC was 39.7% higher for group-G as compared to group-P (p > 0.1) but lower than group-C. In conclusion, calcium absorption is enhanced by G-FOS fortification and fermentation, which may be mediated through increased fatty acid content of the snack.