Polyphenolic and Methylxanthine Bioaccessibility of Cocoa Bean Shell Functional Biscuits: Metabolomics Approach and Intestinal Permeability through Caco-2 Cell Models.

Olga Rojo-Poveda,Stéphanie Pochet,Charaf El Khattabi,Caroline Stévigny,Marta Bertolino,Estelle N H Youl,Cédric Delporte,Letricia Barbosa-Pereira

doi:10.3390/antiox9111164

Abstract

Cocoa bean shell (CBS), a by-product with considerable concentrations of bioactive compounds and proven biofunctional potential, has been demonstrated to be a suitable ingredient for high-fiber functional biscuits adapted to diabetic consumers. In this work, the in vitro bioaccessibility and intestinal absorption of polyphenols and methylxanthines contained in these biscuits were evaluated, and the effect of the food matrix was studied. Biscuits containing CBS and the CBS alone underwent in vitro digestion followed by an intestinal permeability study. The results confirmed that compounds were less bioavailable in the presence of a food matrix, although the digestion contributed to their release from this matrix, increasing the concentrations available at the intestinal level and making them capable of promoting antioxidant and antidiabetic activities. After digestion, CBS biscuits were shown to possess α-glucosidase inhibition capacity comparable to that of acarbose. Moreover, the presence of the food matrix improved the stability of polyphenols throughout the digestion process. Intestinal absorption of flavan-3-ols seemed to be limited to a maximum threshold and was therefore independent of the sample, while procyanidin was not absorbed. Methylxanthine absorption was high and was boosted by the presence of the food matrix. The results confirmed the biofunctional potential of CBS-based biscuits.

Highlights

In recent years, functional foods and ingredients have received increasing interest
The results for the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total tannin content (TTC) analyses performed for the three extraction types of all samples
S10, T10, CBS quantities equivalent to those in 10% (CBS10) (CBS powder alone without food matrix in equivalent quantity to that in 10% biscuits), S20, T20, and CBS20 (CBS powder alone without food matrix in equivalent quantity to that in 20% biscuits)

Summary

Introduction

Functional foods and ingredients have received increasing interest. It has been claimed that when consumed in the diet, these foods possess the ability to treat, prevent, or reduce the risk of several pathologies, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, or even the process of aging through the neutralization of reactive oxygen species in the human organism. Polyphenols contained in cocoa and CBS have been demonstrated to have several beneficial effects on the human organism, such as antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and antidiabetic effects, among others [3] These effects are largely due to the antioxidative characteristics of this compound group, which cause them to act as chemopreventors of several chronic diseases [6]. Cocoa and CBS polyphenols could promote beneficial effects such as antidiabetic actions by acting as enzyme inhibitors or modulating insulin secretion in pancreatic cells [7] Most of these bioactivities have been demonstrated in vitro through direct use of CBS extracts, without taking into account how the bioactive compounds contained in the cocoa by-product would change or what their availability would be during gastrointestinal digestion. The consumed compounds do not all arrive at the target organ in their original form or concentration to exert their biofunction, and sometimes, they may not even be released into the bloodstream [8]

Methods

Results

Conclusion