| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, University of Rijeka, Primorska 42, Opatija, 51410 Croatia;2. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Split, Spin?i?eva 1, Split, 21000 Croatia
Contribution: Data curation (equal), Formal analysis (equal), ?Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal);3. Centre for Food Technology and Biotechnology in Zadar, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, P. Kasandri?a 6, Zadar, 23000 Croatia;4. Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, Zagreb, 10000 Croatia;5. Faculty of Chemistry and Technology, University of Split, Ru?era Bo?kovi?a 35, Split, 21000 Croatia |
| Abstract: | The influence of freeze-drying, pasteurisation and high-intensity ultrasound on gastrointestinal stability and antioxidant activity of cultivated blueberry phenolics was investigated. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were done before and after a two-phase in vitro digestion by human digestive enzymes. Antioxidant capacity of blueberry phenolics before and after simulated digestion was evaluated using DPPH and the FRAP assays. After the simulated gastric digestion phase, high stability of phenolics was determined, especially after freeze-drying. During the simulated duodenal digestion, the most affected compounds were anthocyanins. The average loss of quercetin derivatives was 60%, while in all ultrasound-treated samples, a 3-fold increase in the concentration of phenolic acids was observed. The highest antioxidant activity after in vitro gastric and duodenal digestion was determined in a freeze-dried sample. The results after in vitro digestion demonstrated that the use of freeze-drying and high-intensity ultrasound can ensure better gastrointestinal stability and higher antioxidant activity of blueberry phenolics. |
