Abstract
Cornus mas was used in this study as a rich source of health-promoting bioactives. The cornelian cherries were used to extract the polyphenols and anthocyanins. The chromatographic profile of the Cornus mas fruit extract revealed the presence of several anthocyanins, mainly delphinidin, cyanidin and pelargonidin glycosides. The extract was co-microencapsulated with Lactobacillus casei ssp. paracasei in a unique combination of whey protein isolates, inulin and chitosan by freeze-drying, with an encapsulation efficiency of 89.16 ± 1.23% for anthocyanins and 80.33 ± 0.44% for lactic acid bacteria. The pink-red colored powder showed a total anthocyanins content of 19.86 ± 1.18 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside/g dry weight (DW), yielding an antioxidant activity of 54.43 ± 0.73 mMol Trolox/g DW. The viable cells were 9.39 × 109 colony forming units (CFU)/g DW. The confocal microscopy analysis revealed the microencapsulated powder as a complex one, with several large formations containing smaller aggregates, consisting of the lactic acid bacteria cells, the cornelian cherries’ bioactive compounds and the biopolymers. The powder was tested for stability over 90 days, showing a decrease of 50% in anthocyanins and 37% in flavonoids content, with no significant changes in antioxidant activity and CFU. The powder showed a significant inhibitory effect against the α-amylase of 89.72 ± 1.35% and of 24.13 ± 0.01% for α-glucosidase. In vitro digestibility studies showed a significant release of anthocyanins in gastric juice, followed by a decrease in intestinal simulated conditions. The functional properties of the powder were tested by addition into a yogurt, highlighting a higher and more stable antioxidant activity at storage when compared to the control.
Highlights
Considering the poor health status of today’s people, determined by numerous biotic and abiotic factors, numerous studies have recently reported the desirability of utilizing plant sources as resources for biologically active compounds with an effective role in a superior promotion of the health status [1].In particular, anthocyanins are responsible for the colors of many fruits and vegetables and have been widely recognized as powerful antioxidants
The great opportunity of using plants as natural sources of biologically active compounds was exploited in our study, which aimed to extract polyphenols from cornelian cherry and to co-microencapsulate with lactic acid bacteria, from the perspective of obtaining ingredients with multiple functionalities, for nutraceutical and/or for food applications
The chromatographic profile of the cornelian cherries’ extract indicated that the high content of anthocyanins was attributed mainly to cyanidin-3-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-glucoside, which represented more than 78% of the total anthocyanins content
Summary
Anthocyanins are responsible for the colors of many fruits and vegetables and have been widely recognized as powerful antioxidants. These diet-based compounds have been confirmed to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic and chemopreventive effects in various in vitro animal studies and clinical experiments [2,3]. Anthocyanins may interrupt, or reverse, the carcinogenesis process by acting on intracellular signaling molecules involved in the initiation and/or promotion of the progress of cancer, in a cell type- and dose-dependent manner [6]. The poor stability of anthocyanins under mild alkaline conditions such as those typical in the intestinal tract can lower their bioavailability
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