Anthocyanin bioaccessibility and anti-inflammatory activity of a grape-based 3D printed food for dysphagia

Abstract

The objective was to develop 3D printable grape juice gels with gelatin/cassava starch for dysphagia diets, using the dry heating treatment (DHT) to modify starch, and to evaluate the anthocyanin bioaccessibility and anti-inflammatory activity in the final products. The feasibility for dysphagia diets and 3D printability were assessed in hydrogels made with native starch or starch dry-heated for 2 h (DHT_2h) or 4 h (DHT_4h) at 130 °C with different concentrations and ratios of starch:gelatin. The best formulations (gelatin:starch (1:1) and 5% solids) were used to produce grape juice gels. The gels with DHT-starch showed the highest anthocyanin bioaccessibility (between 22.9 and 28.7%). After in vitro digestion, all gels decreased NF-κΒ activation, whereas the secretion of TNF-α and CXCL2/MIP-2 decreased in cells treated with the native or DHT_2h gels. Therefore, the DHT could enhance chemical and biological properties of 3D printable foods containing grape juice tailored to suit dysphagia diets. Industrial relevance textAlthough there is rising number of works with 3D printing of foods, the evaluation of new ingredients obtained by emerging technologies and their impact on the interaction of bioactive compounds with the human body is still missing. In this work, the developed ingredients were used not only to obtain 3D printable grape juice gels, but also to tailor them for diets of people with dysphagia. Moreover, the effects of gelling ingredients were evaluated not only in relation to the printability of the gels, but also on anthocyanin bioaccessibility and anti-inflammatory activity based on cell assays. The obtained results expand the knowledge of 3D printing of foods towards industrial application.