Investigations on the intestinal availability of native thiamin in selected foods and feedstuffs

Comparative bioavailability of vitamins in human foods sourced from animals and plants

Vitamins are essential components of enzyme systems involved in normal growth and function. The quantitative estimation of the proportion of dietary vitamins, that is in a form available for utilization by the human body, is limited and fragmentary. This review provides the current state of knowledge on the bioavailability of thirteen vitamins and choline, to evaluate whether there are differences in vitamin bioavailability when human foods are sourced from animals or plants. The bioavailability of naturally occurring choline, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K in food awaits further studies. Animal-sourced foods are the almost exclusive natural sources of dietary vitamin B-12 (65% bioavailable) and preformed vitamin A retinol (74% bioavailable), and contain highly bioavailable biotin (89%), folate (67%), niacin (67%), pantothenic acid (80%), riboflavin (61%), thiamin (82%), and vitamin B-6 (83%). Plant-based foods are the main natural sources of vitamin C (76% bioavailable), provitamin A carotenoid β-carotene (15.6% bioavailable), riboflavin (65% bioavailable), thiamin (81% bioavailable), and vitamin K (16.5% bioavailable). The overview of studies showed that in general, vitamins in foods originating from animals are more bioavailable than vitamins in foods sourced from plants.

In vitro bioaccessibility of phenolics and vitamins from durum wheat aleurone fractions

Durum wheat aleurone, thanks to its nutrient-rich composition, might be of potential use as a functional ingredient in cereal-based foods provided nutrients can be made available for absorption. We evaluated the in vitro bioaccessibility of thiamine, niacin, and phenolic acids in different aleurone fractions obtained with an industrial processing aimed to obtain material of different composition and particle size. Results indicate that the main phenolic compounds and vitamins investigated have a higher bioaccessibility when present in the inner part of the aleurone layer compared to the outer part of aleurone or the unfractionated bran. Moreover, an ultramicronization treatment employed to reduce particle size does not further improve the bioaccessibility of these compounds. We conclude that aleurone fractions from durum wheat bran could represent a nutritionally relevant ingredient, bringing together a high fiber content and an excellent bioaccessibility of vitamins and phytochemicals generally associated with nutritional benefits.