Diabetes is one of the degenerative diseases. The number of diabetic patient increase from year to year and become a global health problem. Diabetic patient needs functional foods to maintain a normal blood glucose level. Tempe is a food that rich in bioactive compounds that potential to be antidiabetic through various mechanisms. This study was done to analyze the effect of tempe flours made from soybean tempe and germinated soyben tempe on antioxidant status and pancreatic beta cell profile of diabetic rats. The stages of this research include preparation of flours from soybean tempe and germinated soybean tempe, bioassay using experimental rats, biochemical and histology analysis. Two-month-old of 28 male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing approximately 175-200 g, were used in this study. The rats were divided into four groups: (1) negative control (normal rats fed with casein), (2) positive control (diabetic rats fed with casein), (3) diabetic rats fed with soybean tempe flour (ST), and (4) diabetic rats fed with germinated soybean tempe flour (GST). Feeding tempe flours (ST and GST) showed significantly decreased in blood glucose and malondiadehyde levels, increased in superoxide dismutase, and repaired pancreatic beta cells profile. Tempe flours (ST and GST) showed potential as functional food, especially for antidiabetic.
Key words: Tempe, blood glucose, antioxidant, beta cell, diabetes mellitus