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. 2022 Jan 4;27(1):310.
doi: 10.3390/molecules27010310.

Co-Ingestion of Natal Plums (Carissa macrocarpa) and Marula Nuts (Sclerocarya birrea) in a Snack Bar and Its Effect on Phenolic Compounds and Bioactivities

Vimbainashe E Manhivi  1 , Retha M Slabbert  2 , Dharini Sivakumar  1
Affiliations

Co-Ingestion of Natal Plums (Carissa macrocarpa) and Marula Nuts (Sclerocarya birrea) in a Snack Bar and Its Effect on Phenolic Compounds and Bioactivities

Vimbainashe E Manhivi et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of co-ingesting Natal plums (Carissa macrocarpa) and Marula nuts (Sclerocarya birrea) on the bioaccessibility and uptake of anthocyanins, antioxidant capacity, and the ability to inhibit α-glucosidase. A Natal plum-Marula nut bar was made by mixing the raw nuts and the fruit pulp in a ratio 1:1 (v/v). The cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside (Cy-3-Sa) and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside content (Cy-3-G) were quantified using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS). Inclusion of Natal plum in the Marula nut bar increased the Cy-3-Sa, Cy-3-G content, antioxidants capacity and α-glucosidase inhibition compared to ingesting Marula nut separately at the internal phase. Adding Natal plum to the Marula nut bar increased bioaccessibility of Cy-3-Sa, Cy-3-G, quercetin, coumaric acid, syringic acid and ferulic acid to 80.2% and 71.9%, 98.7%, 95.2%, 51.9% and 89.3%, respectively, compared to ingesting the Natal plum fruit or nut separately.

Keywords: anthocyanins; antioxidant properties; bioaccessibility; gastrointestinal digestion; indigenous food; phenolic compounds.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chromatogram of phenolic compounds in the Natal plum–Marula nut bar. Major peaks 1 and 2 represent cyanidin 3-O-glucoside and cyanidin 3-O-sambubioside, respectively.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of co-ingestion of Natal plum and Marula nut in a bar on the total phenolic content Means followed by the same letter in a bar are not significantly different at p < 0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of co-ingestion of Natal plum and Marula nut in a bar on the antioxidant power Means followed by the same letter in a bar are not significantly different at p < 0.05.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of co-ingestion of Natal plum and Marula nut in a bar on the antioxidant capacity Means followed by the same letter in a bar are not significantly different at p < 0.05.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effect of co-ingestion of Natal plum and Marula nut in a bar on the antioxidant scavenging activity. Means followed by the same letter in a bar are not significantly different at p < 0.05.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(A–D) Correlation of total phenolic content (A), FRAP antioxidant capacity (B), ABTS (C) and DPPH (D) radical scavenging capacities with phenolic compounds.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(A) Effect of simulated digestion on α-glucosidase inhibition capacity of Natal plums, Marula nuts and the bar. (B) Correlation of α-glucosidase inhibition capacity with phenolic compounds.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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