The Bioaccessibility of Phenolics, Flavonoids, Carotenoids, and Capsaicinoid Compounds: A Comparative Study of Cooked Potato Cultivars Mixed with Roasted Pepper Varieties

Bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds and associated compounds to the indigestible fraction after in vitro digestion of three dry Capsicum annuum varieties

Mexico has a wide variety of dry chilies used in Mexican food preparation because they are spicy, a property related to the bioactive compound named capsaicin. Apart from capsaicin, dry chilies have compounds such as phenolic compounds and tocopherols. Except for phenolic compounds, capsaicin and tocopherol have not been totally assessed to measure their release from the food matrix (bioaccessibility) after in vitro digestion. Therefore, this study is aimed at analyzing the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds, tocopherols and capsaicinoids after in vitro digestion process of three dry chilies, namely, chiltepin, Colorado, and de Arbol, as well as the bioactive compounds associated with the indigestible fraction (IF). Results indicated that the bioaccessibility values of capsaicinoids were above 80% for all the three chili varieties without showing significant differences. Although these chilies showed high capsaicinoid bioaccessibility values, there were still compounds associated with the IF that could reach the colon and exhibit bioactivity. Regarding phenolic compounds, no differences in the bioaccessibility values were observed; however, there was a major concentration of flavonoids in the IF of the Colorado and de Arbol chilies, which could have a regulatory effect on the colonic microbiome. Regarding the bioaccessibility of α-tocopherol, there was a significant difference between de Arbol and the other two varieties (above 60%). The IF of Colorado chili was a source of α-tocopherol in the colon because it had the lowest bioaccessibility percentage. The overall results demonstrate that dry chilies are a source of bioactive compounds with bioaccessibility values favorable to human health.

Oral bioavailability of bioactive compounds; modulating factors, in vitro analysis methods, and enhancing strategies

Foods are complex biosystems made up of a wide variety of compounds. Some of them, such as nutrients and bioactive compounds (bioactives), contribute to supporting body functions and bring important health benefits; others, such as food additives, are involved in processing techniques and contribute to improving sensory attributes and ensuring food safety. Also, there are antinutrients in foods that affect food bioefficiency and contaminants that increase the risk of toxicity. The bioefficiency of food is evaluated with bioavailability which represents the amount of nutrients or bioactives from the consumed food reaching the organs and tissues where they exert their biological activity. Oral bioavailability is the result of some physicochemical and biological processes in which food is involved such as liberation, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination (LADME). In this paper, a general presentation of the factors influencing oral bioavailability of nutrients and bioactives as well as the in vitro techniques for evaluating bioaccessibility and is provided. In this context, a critical analysis of the effects of physiological factors related to the characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) on oral bioavailability is discussed, such as pH, chemical composition, volumes of gastrointestinal (GI) fluids, transit time, enzymatic activity, mechanical processes, and so on, and the pharmacokinetics factors including BAC and solubility of bioactives, their transport across the cell membrane, their biodistribution and metabolism. The impact of matrix and food processing on the BAC of bioactives is also explained. The researchers' recent concerns for improving oral bioavailability of nutrients and food bioactives using both traditional techniques, for example, thermal treatments, mechanical processes, soaking, germination and fermentation, as well as food nanotechnologies, such as loading of bioactives in different colloidal delivery systems (CDSs), is also highlighted.

Effect of Fruit Weight and Fruit Locule Number in Bell Pepper on Industrial Waste and Quality of Roasted Pepper

Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), one of the most consumed vegetables worldwide, shows great differences between its diverse varieties. These differences affect the fruit type, size and shape. Food preservation techniques prolong the availability of sweet pepper. Roasted pepper is a product marketed with the European recognition of Protected Geographical Indication ‘Pimiento Asado del Bierzo’. The objective of this work was to analyse the effect of the fruit weight and fruit locule number of the industrial fresh pepper on quality and roasted pepper yield. Large trilocular fruits and large tetralocular fruits reached higher roast yield and uniformity than small trilocular fruits. Regardless of fruit locule number and fruit weight, the overall quality of all the samples of roasted pepper was categorised as very good. Large tetralocular and large trilocular fruits are the most appropriate peppers for industrial purposes, whereas small trilocular fruits should be intended for the fresh product market. This easy method of sorting bell pepper fruit attending to fruit weight will decrease the amount of pepper waste in the industrial roasting process (around 18%), while maintaining the high overall quality of the final product. Moreover, the faster peeling of large peppers will also contribute to increasing the productivity of the industrial processing of roasted pepper.