Applying Pulsed Electric Fields to Whole Carrots Enhances the Bioaccessibility of Carotenoid and Phenolic Compounds in Derived Products

Abstract

We propose the application of pulsed electric fields (PEF) to carrots to obtain derived products with increased phenolic and carotenoid bioaccessibility. For this purpose, juices, purees, and oil-added purees were obtained from whole PEF-treated carrots (five pulses of 3.5 kV cm−1; 0.61 kJ kg−1). In order to obtain shelf-stable products, the effect of a thermal treatment (70 °C for 10 min) was also studied. Carrot juices exhibited the highest carotenoid (43.4 mg/100 g fresh weight) and phenolic (322 mg kg−1 dry weight) contents. However, caffeic and coumaric acid derivatives were highly sensitive to PEF. The phenolic bioaccessibility reached 100% in purees obtained from the PEF-treated carrots, whereas the further thermally treated oil-added purees exhibited the greatest carotenoid bioaccessibility (7.8%). The increase in carotenoid bioaccessibility could be related to their better release and solubilization into micelles. The results suggest that food matrix aspects apart from particle size (e.g., pectin characteristics) are involved in phenolic bioaccessibility.

Effect of Carrots (Daucus carota L.) on Gastric Histopathology of Piroxicam-Induced Mice as a Peptic Ulcer Prevention

“…Thus, it can damage the host tissue. 10,19 Second, it can decrease local secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators by modulating the key transcription factors. 10,20 Lastly, it can decrease free radicals production.…”

“…8 The most dominant phenolic compound in carrots is chlorogenic acid which can reduce the release of inflammatory mediators, especially TNF-α. 9,10 Carrots also contain flavonoids that inhibit acid secretion, reduce pepsin level and activity, and also increase gastric mucous and bicarbonate secretion. Flavonoids also have antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective effect.…”

Kinetic Study of Encapsulated β-Carotene Degradation in Dried Systems: A Review

“…Due to its high hydrophobicity, β-carotene is extracted using organic solvents such as hexane, acetone, methanol and ethanol, as well as various solvent combinations [11]. Efficient and sustainable approaches have also been developed for β-carotene extraction, based on the application of pulsed electric fields [28], microwaves [29,30], ultrasounds [31], supercritical fluids [32,33] and pressurized liquids [34,35]. β-carotene was also extracted from carrot peel waste by a green procedure without any solvent, based on water-induced hydrocolloidal complexation with pectin [36].…”

“…Indeed, fast freezing rate produces small ice crystals. The ice crystal size affects heat and mass transfer properties during dehydration as well as porosity and rehydration of the dried product [28]. The sublimation process is strongly affected by pressure, which determines the ice sublimation temperature.…”

Kinetic Study of Encapsulated β-Carotene Degradation in Aqueous Environments: A Review

“…In vitro studies have been performed to obtain insights on the bioaccessibility of fat-soluble vitamins and provitamins, i.e., their release from the lipid phase of the food matrix and solubilization within the mixed micelles formed from lipid digestion products, which is the process governing their bioavailability [13,14]. Through in vitro digestion studies, it was found that the bioaccessibility of β-carotene in raw carrot puree is very low (3.8%), and it increases only moderately after thermal treatments of oil-added purees (10.7%) [15]. To optimize the use of β-carotene, an approach is the extraction of this compound from food sources, such as carrots, and then its encapsulation into specific nano-or micro-structures that enable its homogeneous distribution in the food matrix and improve its bioaccessibility [14].…”