Encapsulation of anthocyanins from bilberries - Effects on bioavailability and intestinal accessibility in humans

Abstract

Anthocyanins are flavonoids that have been suggested to provide beneficial health effects. The biological activity of anthocyanins is influenced by their pharmacokinetic properties, but anthocyanins are associated with limited bioavailability in humans. In the presented study, we investigated how the encapsulation of bilberry extract (BE), a source of anthocyanins, with either whey protein or citrus pectin influences the bioavailability and intestinal accessibility of anthocyanins in humans. We performed an intervention study that analyzed anthocyanins and their degradation products in the urine, plasma, and ileal effluent of healthy volunteers and ileostomists (subjects without an intact colon). We were able to show, that whey protein encapsulation modulated short-term bioavailability and that citrus pectin encapsulation increased intestinal accessibility during passage through the small intestine and modulated the formation of the degradation product phloroglucinol aldehyde (PGAL) in human plasma.

Keywords: 3-O-Methylgallic acid (PubChem CID: 19829); 4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde (PubChem CID: 126); 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid (PubChem CID: 135); Anthocyanins; Anthocyanins (PubChem CID: 145858); Bioavailability; Encapsulation; Gallic acid (PubChem CID: 370); Human intervention; Phloroglucinol aldehyde; Phloroglucinol aldehyde (PubChem CID: 68099); Protocatechuic acid (PubChem CID: 72); Syringic acid (PubChem CID: 10742); Vanillic acid (PubChem CID: 8468).