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Bioactive Compounds and Their Availability in In Vitro Digestion Studies

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 9442

Special Issue Editors

Department of Technique and Food Development, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: microencapsulation of bioactive compounds; processing of food products of plant origin and their compounds (vegetables, fruits and cereals); experimental design in food technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 1, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
Interests: seafood and health; bioactive peptides; effect of processing; effect of digestion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Consumers are increasingly realizing that in addition to satisfying hunger, food also fulfills several important functions in the human body. Within research, the focus has been shifting from merely basic food such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, towards other issues such as bioactive compounds. Bioactive compounds may be defined as substances that, in addition to their nutritional value, are able to regulate biological processes in the human body and have an impact on body function and health. The term commonly refers to the compounds that have measurable effect at a physiologically realistic level and where the impact is positive. Such bioactive compounds, e.g., polyphenols, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and peptides are now increasingly used in the area of new product development. It is therefore important to examine how such compounds are available for and functioning in the human body, and hence the effect of gastrointestinal digestion. In vivo feeding methods, using either animals or humans, would give the most accurate results. However, these methods are time consuming, expensive and often associated with ethical issues. In vitro methods are a cheaper and faster alternative to clinical trials that produce results that can be easily transposed into an animal or human model.

In this Special Issue, we will focus on the possibilities of testing the bioavailability of various bioactive substances that are in vitro digested individually or in a matrix, as well as research issues connected with interactions between nutrients and their release in digestive tract from the fields like nutrition, pharmacology and food chemistry.

Prof. Dr. Marcin A. Kurek 
Dr. Ida-Johanne Jensen
Guest Editors

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • in vitro digestion
  • digestion
  • bioactive compounds
  • bioavailability
  • bioaccessability

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 2239 KiB  
Article
Hydrothermal Processing and In Vitro Simulated Human Digestion Affects the Bioaccessibility and Bioactivity of Phenolic Compounds in African Pumpkin (Momordica balsamina) Leaves
by Siphosanele Mafa Moyo, June C. Serem, Megan J. Bester, Vuyo Mavumengwana and Eugenie Kayitesi
Molecules 2021, 26(17), 5201; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26175201 - 27 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1847
Abstract
The African pumpkin (Momordica balsamina) contains bioactive phenolic compounds that may assist in reducing oxidative stress in the human body. The leaves are mainly consumed after boiling in water for a specific time; this hydrothermal process and conditions of the gastrointestinal [...] Read more.
The African pumpkin (Momordica balsamina) contains bioactive phenolic compounds that may assist in reducing oxidative stress in the human body. The leaves are mainly consumed after boiling in water for a specific time; this hydrothermal process and conditions of the gastrointestinal tract may affect the presence and bioactivity of phenolics either positively or negatively. In this study, the effects of hydrothermal processing (boiling) and in vitro simulated human digestion on the phenolic composition, bioaccessibility and bioactivity in African pumpkin were investigated in comparison with those of spinach (Spinacia oleracea). A high-resolution ultra-performance liquid chromatography, coupled with diode array detection, quadrupole time-of-flight and mass spectrometer (UPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS) was used to profile phenolic metabolites. Metabolites such as 3-caffeoylquinic acid, 5-caffeoylquinic acid, 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were highly concentrated in the boiled vegetable extracts compared to the raw undigested and all digested samples. The majority of African pumpkin and spinach extracts (non-digested and digested) protected Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), (mouse fibroblast) L929 and human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells from 2,2′-Azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced oxidative damage. From these results, the consumption of boiled African pumpkin leaves, as well as spinach, could be encouraged, as bioactive metabolites present may reduce oxidative stress in the body. Full article
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21 pages, 6801 KiB  
Article
Regiospecific Positioning of Palmitic Acid in Triacylglycerol Structure of Enzymatically Modified Lipids Affects Physicochemical and In Vitro Digestion Properties
by Hyeon-Jun Chang and Jeung-Hee Lee
Molecules 2021, 26(13), 4015; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26134015 - 30 Jun 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2465
Abstract
Tripalmitin-(PPP, 81.2%), 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-oleoylglycerol-(POP, 64.4%), 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-oleoylglycerol-(PPO, 86.5%), and 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol-(OPO, 50.2%)-rich lipids with different regiospecific positions of palmitic acid (P) were synthesized via acetone fractionation and lipase-catalyzed acidolysis, and their physicochemical and hydrolytic characteristics were compared. Triacylglycerols (TAGs) with higher content of P, wherein P [...] Read more.
Tripalmitin-(PPP, 81.2%), 1,3-dipalmitoyl-2-oleoylglycerol-(POP, 64.4%), 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-oleoylglycerol-(PPO, 86.5%), and 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol-(OPO, 50.2%)-rich lipids with different regiospecific positions of palmitic acid (P) were synthesized via acetone fractionation and lipase-catalyzed acidolysis, and their physicochemical and hydrolytic characteristics were compared. Triacylglycerols (TAGs) with higher content of P, wherein P was at the sn-1 (or 3) position, had higher melting points, crystallization temperatures, and packing densities of fat crystals compared to those with a lower content of P, and with P at the sn-2 position. The in vitro digestion degree calculated as released fatty acid (FA) (%) at 30, 60, and 120 min was in the following order: OPO-rich > PPO-rich > POP-rich lipids. At 120 min, in vitro digestion of the OPO-rich lipid released 92.6% of fatty acids, resulting in the highest digestibility, while 89.7% and 87.2% of fatty acids were released from the OPO-rich and PPO-rich lipids, respectively. Over the digestion period, the TAG and monoacylglycerol (MAG) contents decreased, while the diacylglycerol (DAG) content initially increased and then decreased, and the 1,2-DAG content exceeded the 1,3-DAG content. Therefore, the content and stereospecific position of P attached to a specific TAG affected the physicochemical and in vitro digestion characteristics of the lipids. Full article
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Review

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27 pages, 2870 KiB  
Review
Lipid-Based Nanocarrier System for the Effective Delivery of Nutraceuticals
by Parthasarathi Subramanian
Molecules 2021, 26(18), 5510; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26185510 - 10 Sep 2021
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 4180
Abstract
Nutraceuticals possess several health benefits and functions; however, most nutraceuticals are prone to degradation in the gastrointestinal environment and have poor bioavailability. Application of a novel carrier system is of increasing importance to overcome obstacles and provide efficient applicability. Lipid-based nanocarriers provide a [...] Read more.
Nutraceuticals possess several health benefits and functions; however, most nutraceuticals are prone to degradation in the gastrointestinal environment and have poor bioavailability. Application of a novel carrier system is of increasing importance to overcome obstacles and provide efficient applicability. Lipid-based nanocarriers provide a large surface-to-mass ratio, enhanced intestinal absorption by solubilization in the intestinal milieu, intestinal lymphatic transport, and altering enterocyte-based transport. A critical overview of the current limitation, preparation, and application of lipid-based nanocarriers (liposomes and niosomes) and lipid nanoparticles (SLNs and NLCs) is discussed. Physical and gastrointestinal stability and bioavailability of nanoencapsulated nutraceuticals are considered as well. Full article
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