Abstract
In this study, cinnamon powder was supplemented into yogurt as a functional ingredient. The total phenolic compounds, individual phytochemicals and radical scavenging activity of the yogurts were measured and compared with a cinnamon water extract treated in the same way as the fortified yogurt. Cinnamon-fortified yogurt displayed higher total phenolic content (P < 0.05) and higher radical scavenging activity (P < 0.05) compared to plain yogurt. Phenolic acids, flavonols and cinnamaldehyde were identified in the cinnamon-fortified yogurt. Results showed that only the 34.7% of the total phenolic compounds present in the cinnamon water extract were found in the cinnamon-fortified yogurt, the remaining being bound to milk proteins. A low recovery was also found for the individual phytochemicals. However, in-vitro digestion of the cinnamon-fortified yogurt resulted in the release of phenolic compounds from milk proteins so that at the end of the digestion the amount of phenolic compounds recovered in the cinnamon-fortified yogurt was higher than that found in the digested cinnamon water extract (P < 0.05). These results clearly showed that yogurt matrix enhance the gastro-intestinal stability and the bioaccessibility of cinnamon polyphenols. Cinnamon-fortified yogurt can be considered an important source of dietary bioaccessible polyphenols.
Highlights
Developing of functional foods with health promoting natural ingredients has increased in the past decade (Granato, Nunes, & Barba, 2017)
The main objective of the present study was to fortify the phenolic content of yogurt, using cinnamon powder and to evaluate the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds and cinnamaldehyde and the antioxidant activity during simulated gastro-pancreatic digestion of the cinnamon-fortified yogurt
The total amount of phenolic compounds extracted from cinnamon bark was 76.6 ± 4.2 mg of catechin/100 g of water extract
Summary
Developing of functional foods with health promoting natural ingredients has increased in the past decade (Granato, Nunes, & Barba, 2017). The development of new products with potentially positive effect on health using traditional herbs and food, which are known to be safe from the toxicological standpoint, is generally desirable since there is an increasing interest among consumers to look for healthier and natural food (Granato et al, 2017). Traditional herbs and food used to improve the functionality of food are normally chosen because rich in phenolic compounds, which possess strong antioxidant activity and show protective effects against chronic diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer (Del Rio et al, 2013). Cinnamon showed several beneficial health properties such as anti-tumoural, cardiovascular, cholesterol lowering, and antioxidant activities (Gruenwald, Freder, & Armbruester 2010; Hlebowicz, Darwiche, Bjorgell, & Almer, 2007; Hlebowicz et al, 2009). Cinnamon polyphenols mainly consist of condensed tannins (oligomeric and polymeric procyanidins) and monomeric phenolic compounds such as flavonols and phenolic acids (Gu et al, 2004; Helal, Tagliazucchi, Verzelloni & Conte, 2014)
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