Abstract
Currently, on an industrial scale, synthetic colorants are used in many fields, as well as those extracted with conventional organic solvents (COSs), leading to several environmental issues. Therefore, we developed a sustainable extraction and purification method mediated by ionic liquids (IL), which is considered an alternative high-performance replacement for COSs. Carotenoids are natural pigments with low bioaccessibility (BCT) and bioavailability (BV) but with huge importance to health. To investigate if the BCT and cellular uptake of the carotenoids are modified by the extraction method, we conducted a comparison assay between both extraction procedures (IL vs. COS). For this, we used the Amazonian fruit Bactris gasipaes, a rich source of pro-vitamin A carotenoids, to obtain the extract, which was emulsified and subjected to an in vitro digestion model followed by the Caco-2 cell absorption assay. The bioaccessibility of carotenoids using IL was better than those using COS (33.25%, and 26.84%, respectively). The cellular uptake of the carotenoids extracted with IL was 1.4-fold higher than those extracted using COS. Thus, IL may be a feasible alternative as extraction solvent in the food industry, replacing COS, since, in this study, no IL was present in the final extract.
Highlights
Carotenoids are pigments that are naturally present in many biomasses, are important for human diets since they display several biological activities, and are considered an excellent food additive to enhance the nutritional benefits of foods [1]
To discuss the consequence of the BCT and cellular with ionic liquids (IL), in this work, we evaluated whether there is a difference in BCT and Caco-2 cellular uptake from carotenoids extracted with IL, in this work, we evaluated whether there is a uptake of carotenoids extracted with IL and conventional organic solvents (COSs)
The present study adds to recent reports on the BCT and Caco-2 cellular uptake of carotenoids present in the fruit of Bactris gasipaes employing two models: (i) carotenoids obtained by COS extraction and (ii) carotenoids obtained with IL ([C4 mim][BF4 ])
Summary
Carotenoids are pigments that are naturally present in many biomasses (fruits, algae, bacteria, and some animals), are important for human diets since they display several biological activities, and are considered an excellent food additive to enhance the nutritional benefits of foods [1] These pigments are tetraterpenoids linked by conjugated double bonds, conferring high molecular hydrophobicity, justifying the use of conventional organic solvents (COSs) for their synthesis and extraction [2]. ILs are considered high-performance solvents since they usually promote high extraction yields when compared to those of COSmediated processes This is an important characteristic, since one of the main drawbacks of the industrial sector is obtaining large yields of stable natural pigments [8,9]
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