Bioaccessibility and antioxidant activities of finger millet food phenolics

Abstract

Finger millet flour was used to prepare five different foods using steaming, pressure cooking, dry roasting and open boiling as representative preparation methods. The soluble and bound phenolics of freeze dried foods were extracted. The gastric and intestinal bioaccessibility and potential absorption of phenolic compounds of foods were determined accommodating a simulated in vitro digestion model. The phenolic extracts of foods and supernatants collected at different stages of in vitro digestion were examined for their phenolic contents and antioxidant activities. The content of ferulic acid, of phenolic extracts of foods were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The open pan boiling retained higher content of phenolics and showed higher antioxidant activities compared to other food preparations. The release of phenolic compounds increased stepwise from gastric to intestinal phase for all foods and the bioaccessibility and potential absorption of phenolic compounds depended on the food preparation methods.