Effects of α-casein on the excretion of blueberry anthocyanins via urine and feces: Analysis of their bioavailability

Abstract

Anthocyanins are bioactive compounds found in blueberries. However, their poor bioavailability restricts their functional activities in vivo, which is a challenging issue in the application of blueberry anthocyanins. Our current study utilized α-casein as a carrier and analyzed its influence on the excretion of blueberry anthocyanins in urine and feces in a rat model to reflect the enhanced bioavailability of blueberry anthocyanins by α-casein in vivo. The results showed that α-casein suppressed the excretive content of blueberry anthocyanins (malvidin-3-O-galacoside (M3G), cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), and delphinidin-3-O-glucoside (D3G)), increased the content of metabolites in urine (syringic acid, ferulic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and vanillic acid), and reduced metabolite content in feces (syringic acid, ferulic acid, and gallic acid), indicating that α-casein was effective in controlling the excretion of blueberry anthocyanins and their metabolites. In summary, these results provided sufficient evidence for the positive effects of α-casein on the bioavailability of blueberry anthocyanins.