In vitro β‐Carotene Bioaccessibility and Lipid Digestion in Emulsions: Influence of Pectin Type and Degree of Methyl‐Esterification

Abstract

Citrus pectin (CP) and sugar beet pectin (SBP) were demethoxylated and fully characterized in terms of pectin properties in order to investigate the influence of the pectin degree of methyl-esterification (DM) and the pectin type on the in vitro β-carotene bioaccessibility and lipid digestion in emulsions. For the CP based emulsions containing β-carotene enriched oil, water and pectin, the β-carotene bioaccessibility, and lipid digestion were higher in the emulsions with pectin with a higher DM (57%; "CP57 emulsion") compared to the emulsions with pectin with a lower DM (30%; "CP30 emulsion") showing that the DM plays an important role. In contrast, in SBP-based emulsions, nor β-carotene bioaccessibility nor lipid digestion were dependent on pectin DM. Probably here, other pectin properties are more important factors. It was observed that β-carotene bioaccessibility and lipid digestion were lower in the CP30 emulsion in comparison with the CP57, SBP32, and SBP58 emulsions. However, the β-carotene bioaccessibility of CP57 emulsion was similar to that of the SBP emulsions, whereas the lipid digestion was not. It seems that pectin type and pectin DM (in case of CP) are determining which components can be incorporated into micelles. Because carotenoids and lipids have different structures and polarities, their incorporation may be different. This knowledge can be used to engineer targeted (digestive) functionalities in food products. If both high β-carotene bioaccessibility and high lipid digestion are targeted, SBP emulsions are the best options. The CP57 emulsion can be chosen if high β-carotene bioaccessibility but lower lipid digestion is desired.

Improving the In Vitro Bioaccessibility of β-Carotene Using Pectin Added Nanoemulsions

“…Therefore, although all nanoemulsions exhibited the same amount of free fatty acids at the end of the intestinal digestion, it seems that other factors influenced the bioaccessibility of β-carotene. Some authors have noted that lipid availability for mixed micelle formation is not always correlated with the bioaccessibility of β-carotene [64]. In this regard, factors such as the composition of active molecules in the micelle appear to have also a significant effect.…”

In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Colored Carotenoids in Tomato Derivatives as Affected by Ripeness Stage and the Addition of Different Types of Oil

“…Moreover, it is well known that during ripening, a series of pectic enzymes, especially pectin methylesterase (PME) and polygalacturonase (PG), breakdown the pectin of cell walls, thus leading to a decrease in the methyl‐esterification degree (DM) (Manrique & Lajolo ; Paniagua et al., ). Recent studies have demonstrated that the DM of pectin plays an important role in β‐carotene bioaccessibility in emulsions (Verrijssen et al., , ). In this regard, the higher DM of pectin in unripe tomatoes could hinder the incorporation of carotenoids into micelles resulting in lower bioaccessibility.…”

Influence of Pectin Structural Properties on Interactions with Divalent Cations and Its Associated Functionalities

“…Moreover, Ca 2+ is known to be a co‐factor of pancreatic lipase, such that its binding to pectin could lead to decreased lipase activity (Hu et al., ). In addition, pectin‐Ca 2+ interactions could result in increased viscosity or formation of a microgel network, hindering the diffusion of lipase and bile salts and thus retarding the lipid digestion process (Cervantes‐Paz et al., ; Espinal‐Ruiz et al., ; Verrijssen et al., ). In fact, increased viscosity, possibly due to Ca 2+ ‐induced microgels, is reported to be one of the possible mechanisms responsible for the cholesterol‐lowering capacity of pectin.…”