Co-Ingestion of Black Carrot and Strawberry. Effects on Anthocyanin Stability, Bioaccessibility and Uptake

Abstract

Although the fate of anthocyanins along digestion has been a matter of research over the last decade, their bioaccessibility so far has been mainly assessed for single administered fruits or vegetables, which is far from the real scenario where they are co-ingested in a meal. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of simultaneous intake of fruit and vegetable on in vitro stability, bioaccessibility and uptake of anthocyanins. Black carrot and strawberry were used as food sources of anthocyanins. Anthocyanin identification and quantification were performed using HPLC-Qtof/HPLC-UV. Single matrices and mixtures thereof, were submitted to a standardized in vitro digestion procedure. Anthocyanin uptake was evaluated through an intestinal Caco-2 cell model. Our results showed an increased intestinal stability for specific anthocyanins as a consequence of co-digestion. The presence of the strawberry food matrix positively affected the bioaccessibility of the carrot associated cyanidin-based anthocyanins, whereas no reciprocal effect was observed for pelargonidin-based derivatives in the presence of the black carrot food matrix. Anthocyanin transport was maintained after co-administration. Overall, co-ingestion of black carrot and strawberry did not negatively affect the stability, bioaccessibility or uptake of cyanidin-based anthocyanins, although the effect on pelargonidin-based anthocyanins depended on the type of pelargonidin derivative.

Keywords: anthocyanins; bioaccessibility; co-ingestion; stability; uptake.

Figure 1

Anthocyanidin structures.

Figure 2

HPLC separation of anthocyanins (520 nm) from a black carrot extract (a) strawberry extract (b) and their mixture (1:1, v:v) (c). For peak assignment see Table 1.

Figure 3

TEER (transepithelial electrical resistance) measurements carried out in growth medium (Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium, DMEM, with Glutamax, 10% fetal bovine serum, FBS, 1% Pen Strep and 1% nonessential amino acids, NEAA) and during incubations in Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS). Data represent mean values ± SD (3 biological and 3 technical replicates). Solid line corresponds to the blank (no treatment); dashed line to black carrot; dotted line to strawberry; dashed-dotted line to the mixture black carrot-strawberry.

Figure 4

Mitochondrial activity (measured using MTT assay) of Caco-2 cells exposed to black carrot (BC), strawberry (ST) and their mixture (Mix BC-ST), expressed as % of control (no treatment). Different letters indicate significant differences.