Articles
Impact of in vitro digestion on the chemical bonds of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) pulp and peel: an ATR-FTIR spectroscopy study
Article number
1466_18
Pages
139 – 146
Language
English
Abstract
This study investigated the impact of simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the chemical bonds of O. ficus-indica pulp and peel using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy.
Following the INFOGEST protocol with minor modifications, pulp and peel samples were subjected to conditions mimicking the oral, gastric, and intestinal phases of digestion.
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra were recorded in the fingerprint region (1800-650 cm‑1) to observe changes in polysaccharides (C-O, C-O-C) and phenolic compounds (C=C). The peel exhibited progressive degradation throughout digestion, with absorbance decreasing from the oral (0.48 a.u.) to the intestinal (0.33 a.u.) phases at 1023 cm‑1, indicating continuous breakdown of structural polysaccharides throughout digestion.
In contrast, the pulp has a decline in absorbance in the oral and gastric phases (0.29 to 0.07 a.u. at 1246 cm‑1), before showing remarkable recovery in the intestine (0.39 a.u.). This suggests that there is an initial solubilisation followed by the release and transformation of phenolic compounds in the intestinal phase.
This study, therefore, emphasizes the distinct digestive behaviours exhibited by different tissue types of the same fruit, providing insight into how targeted delivery of specific bioactive compounds may influence their contribution to functional food applications.
Following the INFOGEST protocol with minor modifications, pulp and peel samples were subjected to conditions mimicking the oral, gastric, and intestinal phases of digestion.
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra were recorded in the fingerprint region (1800-650 cm‑1) to observe changes in polysaccharides (C-O, C-O-C) and phenolic compounds (C=C). The peel exhibited progressive degradation throughout digestion, with absorbance decreasing from the oral (0.48 a.u.) to the intestinal (0.33 a.u.) phases at 1023 cm‑1, indicating continuous breakdown of structural polysaccharides throughout digestion.
In contrast, the pulp has a decline in absorbance in the oral and gastric phases (0.29 to 0.07 a.u. at 1246 cm‑1), before showing remarkable recovery in the intestine (0.39 a.u.). This suggests that there is an initial solubilisation followed by the release and transformation of phenolic compounds in the intestinal phase.
This study, therefore, emphasizes the distinct digestive behaviours exhibited by different tissue types of the same fruit, providing insight into how targeted delivery of specific bioactive compounds may influence their contribution to functional food applications.
Publication
Authors
F.G. Alasow, F. Seke, O.A. Fawole
Keywords
gastrointestinal stability, INFOGEST protocol, bioactive compounds, phenolics, bioaccessibility
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