Physiological Advantages of a Fiber-Enriched Plant-Based Dessert: Improved Glycemic Control and Appetite Regulation over a Commercial Dairy Product

This study investigated the glycemic response and subjective appetite sensations elicited by a research prototype of a plant-based cocoa dessert, formulated with chickpeas, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and brown rice, and compared it with a commercial dairy dessert. Eleven participants (mean age = 27.0 ± 7.91 years; BMI = 24.11 ± 3.35 kg/m2) consumed portions containing 50 g of available carbohydrates in a randomized crossover design. Capillary blood glucose was measured at fasting and at 15–120 min postprandially. The incremental area under the curve (iAUC) was significantly lower for the plant-based dessert compared with the commercial dairy dessert (13003 ± 466 vs 13492 ± 492 mg·min/dL; p = 0.0021). At 15 min, postprandial glucose for the plant-based dessert was significantly lower than that for the dairy dessert (p < 0.05). Both desserts presented high glycemic index values (80.22 ± 44.00 vs 83.23 ± 46.78), but the plant-based dessert exhibited a lower glycemic load (16.60 vs 18.31). Subjective appetite analyses showed that the plant-based dessert produced significantly greater satiety at 90 and 120 min (p < 0.05) and higher fullness scores at 60, 90, and 120 min (p < 0.05) than the commercial dairy dessert. Conversely, hunger and prospective food consumption scores were significantly lower after the plant-based dessert at the same time points (p < 0.05). Appetite-specific sensations were also modulated, with significantly higher scores for salty and tasty hunger were observed after consumption of the plant-based dessert (p < 0.05). Both the plant-based and commercial dairy desserts exhibited inverse correlations between glycemia and hunger (r = −0.93, p = 0.0017; r = −0.92, p = 0.0032) and prospective food consumption (r = −0.96, p = 0.0004; r = −0.98, p < 0.0001), whereas satiety (r = 0.93, p = 0.0019; r = 0.95, p = 0.0007) and fullness (r = 0.91, p = 0.0009; r = 0.95, p = 0.0008) were positively correlated with glycemia, respectively. Per 100 g, the plant-based dessert had lower energy density, fat, and added sugars than the commercial dairy dessert. Overall, the plant-based cocoa dessert elicited a more favorable physiological profile, combining attenuated glycemic impact, moderate glycemic load, and enhanced satiety, supporting its potential as a nutritionally improved, functional alternative for the development of health-oriented dessert formulations.