The effect of the addition of galactooligosaccharides (GOS) upon sterol bioaccessibility in three plant sterol (PS)-enriched milk-based fruit beverages (without GOS addition (MfB) and with 2.5 g (MfB-G2) and 5.0 g of GOS/250 mL (MfB-G5)) was evaluated after micellar gastrointestinal digestion. Cholesterol bioaccessibility was very similar among beverages, though a slight significant increase (from 80% to 85%) was observed by the addition of 5.0 g of GOS. The addition of GOS did not affect total PS bioaccessibility (≈ 37%). Based on the results obtained after micellar digestion, it has been demonstrated that these beverages could be a suitable food matrix for simultaneous enrichment with PS and GOS. The harmonized in vitro digestion model INFOGEST was applied to MfB beverage, but cholesterol content could not be quantified due to its contribution of bile salts. Hence, it was proposed: i) a change in porcine bile salt concentration from 10 mM to 1.4 mM (in order to compare with micellar digestion); or ii) a change of bile salt origin (bovine instead of porcine), maintaining physiological concentration (10 mM, INFOGEST condition). Both options allowed cholesterol quantification, with bioaccessibilities of 62% (reduction of bile salts) and 38% (replacement of bile salts source), whereas plant sterol bioaccessibilities were 22% and 14%, respectively. Therefore, the change of bile salts origin maintaining INFOGEST concentration is proposed as a method to evaluate sterol (cholesterol and PS) bioaccessibility in these beverages, demonstrating the need of the selection of proper conditions of the INFOGEST harmonized method according to the food matrix and compounds to be determined.
… Chemical Co. (St. Louis. MO, United States). 24α-Methyl-5-cholesten-3β-ol 98 (campesterol) (purity 96%) was acquired from Chengdu Biopurify Phytochemicals Ltd. 99 (Sichuan, China). The derivatization reagents used were: anhydrous pyridine from 100 …
