The Antioxidant and Starch Hydrolase Inhibitory Activity of Ten Spices in an In Vitro Model of Digestion: Bioaccessibility of Anthocyanins and Carotenoids.

Nilakshi Jayawardena,Mindani I. Watawana,Viduranga Y. Waisundara,Ruchini T. Jayathilaka

doi:10.1155/2015/764238

Abstract

The antioxidant and starch hydrolase inhibitory activities of cardamom, cloves, coriander, cumin seeds, curry leaves, fenugreek, mustard seeds, nutmeg, sweet cumin, and star anise extracts were investigated in an in vitro model of digestion mimicking the gastric and duodenal conditions. The total phenolic contents in all spice extracts had statistically significantly (P < 0.05) increased following both gastric and duodenal digestion. This was also in correlation with the antioxidant assays quantifying the water-soluble antioxidant capacity of the extracts. The lipophilic Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity assay did not indicate a statistically significant change in the values during any of the digestion phases. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) reductions in the anthocyanin contents were observed during the digestion phases in contrast to the carotenoid contents. With the exception of the cumin seed extract, none of the spice extracts showed statistically significant changes in the initial starch hydrolase enzyme inhibitory values prior to gastric and duodenal digestion. In conclusion, this study was able to prove that the 10 spices were a significant source of total phenolics, antioxidant, and starch hydrolase inhibitory activities.

Highlights

Antioxidant and starch hydrolase inhibitory activities are two of the most coveted mechanisms to which prevention of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and cancer is currently attributed
Nutmeg had the lowest total phenolic content (0.80 ± 0.03 μg GAE/g). Some of these herbs were evaluated for the total phenolic content in a study by Przygodzka et al [30], namely, cardamom, cloves, coriander, nutmeg, and star anise
In terms of the antioxidant capacity and associated therapeutic compounds, the results showed the antioxidant capacity of the spice extracts was stable during gastric and duodenal digestion

Summary

Introduction

Antioxidant and starch hydrolase inhibitory activities are two of the most coveted mechanisms to which prevention of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and cancer is currently attributed. With reference to phenolic compounds, a number of studies present a measure of the total polyphenol content of food products in order to draw comparisons with other similar products and to provide more detailed information about this subgroup of antioxidants [7, 8]. In this respect, a major obstacle in evaluating the role of individual food components in modifying disease risk is the scarcity of information on factors that influence their bioavailability and bioaccessibility [9]

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Conclusion