Simulated gastrointestinal digestion/Caco-2 cell model to predict bioaccessibility and intestinal permeability of p-coumaric acid and p-coumaroyl derivatives in peanut.

Data concerning physiological recovery of whole peanut major phenolics throughout the gastrointestinal tract are scarce. In our study, the bioaccessibility and intestinal permeability of peanuts major phenolics were predicted by simulated digestion followed by Caco-2 cells monolayer model. Phenolics identification and quantification were performed by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS and HPLC-PDA, respectively. As results, p-coumaroyl conjugates with tartaric, sinapic and ferulic acids, and p-coumaric acid were the major phenolics found in the non-digested extract and in the digested and transported fractions. The in vitro bioaccessibility and Caco-2 cell transport of p-coumaric acid was 370% and 127%, respectively, while it was much lower for p-coumaroyl derivatives (7-100% and 14-31%, respectively). Nonetheless, the peroxyl scavenging activity remained unaltered, likely, at least partly, due to synergies between some phenolics, which concentration proportions changed throughout the experiment. Hence, there is indication that whole peanut is a source of bioavailable antioxidant phenolics.

Simulated gastrointestinal digestion/Caco-2 cell transport: Effects on biological activities and toxicity of a Brazilian propolis.

The objective was to assess the effect of gastrointestinal digestion/Caco-2 cell transport on biological activities and toxicity of the ethanolic extract of organic propolis from southern Brazil (EEOP1). As principal results, the EEOP1 deactivated the ROO•, HOCl and O2•- reactive oxygen species, attenuated NF-κB transcription factor activation, and decreased the release of TNF-α and IL-6 in macrophages after Caco-2 cell transport, while CXCL2/MIP-2 release was reduced after gastrointestinal digestion. Furthermore, the phytochemical profile monitored by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS changed, especially for lignans, lignan-precursors and phenolic acids. Conversely, the antimicrobial activity was observed only in the non-digested EEOP1. The EEOP1 lethal dose to kill 50 % of the Galleria mellonella larvae was 1.1 g/kg, and its digested fraction had no toxic effect. Hence, there is indication that some phytochemicals present in the EEOP1 are resistant to the gastrointestinal tract and maintain their biological activities, as expected for a functional food ingredient.

Bioaccessibility and uptake/epithelial transport of vitamin E: Discoveries and challenges of in vitro and ex vivo assays.

Vitamin E comprises compounds consisting of a chromanol ring and an isoprenoid side-chain, and is an essential lipid-soluble nutrient with several physiological functions. Vitamin E intake has been reported as inadequate for some populations. Only a fraction of dietary vitamin E is effectively released from the food matrix (bioaccessible fraction), absorbed (enterocyte uptake/epithelial transport) and transported in lipoproteins to reach the target tissues (bioavailable fraction), depending on the food structure, composition, and processing. Therefore, research concerning the fate of vitamin E through the gastrointestinal tract is of paramount importance for developing healthy foods and guiding effective public policies. The combination of simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion followed by intestinal epithelial transport and/or enterocyte uptake assays using ex vivo cell models has been successfully used to mimic the physiological conditions and predict the bioaccessibility and epithelial transport of compounds. The objective of this review was to summarize the current knowledge and challenges for predicting the bioaccessibility and uptake/epithelial transport of vitamin E by in vitro and ex vivo assays. Here, we revisited the metabolism of vitamin E and introduced in vitro and ex vivo methods for estimating the bioaccessibility and intestinal absorption of vitamin E. This review compiles data on vitamin E bioaccessibility in vitro and uptake/epithelial transport ex vivo for different food matrices, and discusses the factors that can affect their measurement. Additionally, co-culture approaches using hepatic lineages to assess vitamin E bioavailability are further presented.

An insight into the botanical origins of propolis from permanent preservation and reforestation areas of southern Brazil.

Brown propolis from permanent preservation and reforestation areas of southern Brazil have attracted international commercial interest and have a unique composition, although little is known about their botanical origins, which are the plant resins used by bee foragers to produce propolis. Hence, the volatile profiles of organic and non-organic brown propolis and resins of suspected botanical origins-Araucaria angustifolia, Pinus elliott and Pinus taeda-were determined using static headspace gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (SHS-GCMS) and compared. Nighty nine volatiles were tentatively identified, and monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were the most abundant classes. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed similarity between organic propolis and A. angustifolia volatile profiles (p < 0.05). Hierarchical clustering analysis showed singularities among propolis, even between propolis produced 1 km away from each other. Heatmaps were used to identify peaks present in similar relative intensities in both propolis and conifer resins. Hence, the approach using volatile profiles shed light to propolis botanical origins, which is important for authentication and traceability purposes.