Determination and assessment of the bioaccessibility of vitamins B1, B2, and B3 in commercially available cereal-based baby foods

The effect of in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestive system on the biodegradation of B group vitamins in bread

Today, there is a growing interest in the consumption of whole grain products and the development of bread enriched with vitamins that have functional properties. Considerable losses arise in naturally found vitamins with food processing. Therefore, it is recommended to add vitamins to bread to obtain a satisfactory level. The aim of the current research was to investigate and assess the bioaccessibilities of the vitamins B₁, B₂, B₃, and B₆ in enriched commercial whole wheat breads by an in vitro digestion model. The average bioaccessibility of vitamin B₁, B₂, B₃, and B₆ in enriched breads after digestion was 80%, 64%, 79%, and 64%, respectively. After digestion, the bioaccessibilities of vitamins were affected. Mainly, vitamins B₂ and B₆ had the lowest bioaccessibility than vitamins B₁ and B₃. In vitro bioaccessibility was 70.9–90.2%, 54.2–89.7%, 42.1–94.9%, and 44.1–92.5% for vitamins B₁, B₂, B₃, and B₆, respectively in enriched commercial whole wheat bread. Vitamin B₃ was seen with predominantly higher levels among the breads. Knowing the content of these vitamins in breads after digestion is necessary for the healthy nutrition of the population and for determining daily intake.

In Vitro Digestibility of Minerals and B Group Vitamins from Different Brewers’ Spent Grains

Brewers’ spent grain (BSG), the main by-product of the brewing industry, is a rich source of minerals and water-soluble vitamins such as thiamine, pyridoxine, niacin, and cobalamin. Bioaccessibility through in vitro digestion is an important step toward the complete absorption of minerals and B group vitamins in the gastrointestinal system. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) together with inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used for the quantification of the macro- and micro-minerals. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system coupled with a diode array detector (DAD) was used for B group vitamin identification. Four different industrial BSG samples were used in the present study, with different percentages of malted cereals such as barley, wheat, and degermed corn. Calcium’s bioaccessibility was higher in the BSG4 sample composed of 50% malted barley and 50% malted wheat (16.03%), while iron presented the highest bioaccessibility value in the BSG2 sample (30.03%) composed of 65% Pale Ale malt and 35% Vienna malt. On the other hand, vitamin B1 had the highest bioaccessibility value (72.45%) in the BSG3 sample, whilst B6 registered the lowest bioaccessibility value (16.47%) in the BSG2 sample. Therefore, measuring the bioaccessibilty of bioactive BSG compounds before their further use is crucial in assessing their bioavailability.

A nanofiber application for thiamine stability and enhancement of bioaccessibility of raw, cooked salmon and red meat samples stored at 4 °C

Nanofibers were fabricated by using the electrospinning technique. The diameter of gelatin nanofibers was measured as 41.511 nm. When thiamine was integrated into the nanofibers, it was increased to 100.156 nm. After raw red meat and salmon samples were coated with the nanofibers, the samples were stored at cold storage conditions. The thiamine levels of raw uncoated red meat (RM, 400 to 379 µg/100 g: p < 0.05) and salmon meat (SM, 68 to 62 µg/100 g: p < 0.05) were decreased. The coating increased thiamine contents in raw (519 to 563 µg/100 g) and cooked (416 to 485 µg/100 g) RM samples. Thiamine contents of raw (75 to 78 µg/100 g) and cooked (67 to 75 µg/100 g) SM samples were increased (p < 0.05). The changes in the bioaccessibility of uncoated and coated RM samples were in the range of 85-76%, and 87-79%, respectively while salmon samples were increased from 79 to 94% (p < 0.05).

Biological Properties of Vitamins of the B-Complex, Part 1: Vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B5

This review summarizes the current knowledge on essential vitamins B₁, B₂, B₃, and B₅. These B-complex vitamins must be taken from diet, with the exception of vitamin B₃, that can also be synthetized from amino acid tryptophan. All of these vitamins are water soluble, which determines their main properties, namely: they are partly lost when food is washed or boiled since they migrate to the water; the requirement of membrane transporters for their permeation into the cells; and their safety since any excess is rapidly eliminated via the kidney. The therapeutic use of B-complex vitamins is mostly limited to hypovitaminoses or similar conditions, but, as they are generally very safe, they have also been examined in other pathological conditions. Nicotinic acid, a form of vitamin B₃, is the only exception because it is a known hypolipidemic agent in gram doses. The article also sums up: (i) the current methods for detection of the vitamins of the B-complex in biological fluids; (ii) the food and other sources of these vitamins including the effect of common processing and storage methods on their content; and (iii) their physiological function.

Vitamins in Cereals: A Critical Review of Content, Health Effects, Processing Losses, Bioaccessibility, Fortification, and Biofortification Strategies for Their Improvement

Around the world, cereals are stapled foods and good sources of vitamins A, B, and E. As cereals are inexpensive and consumed in large quantities, attempts are being made to enrich cereals using fortification and biofortification in order to address vitamin deficiency disorders in a vulnerable population. The processing and cooking of cereals significantly affect vitamin content. Depending on grain structure, milling can substantially reduce vitamin content, while cooking methods can significantly impact vitamin retention and bioaccessibility. Pressure cooking has been reported to result in large vitamin losses, whereas minimal vitamin loss was observed following boiling. The fortification of cereal flour with vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B9, which are commonly deficient, has been recommended; and in addition, region-specific fortification using either synthetic or biological vitamins has been suggested. Biofortification is a relatively new concept and has been explored as a method to generate vitamin-rich crops. Once developed, biofortified crops can be utilized for several years. A recent cereal biofortification success story is the enrichment of maize with provitamin A carotenoids.

Comparison of bioaccessibility methods in spiked and field Hg-contaminated soils

Estimating bioaccessible content of mercury in soils is essential in evaluating risks that contaminated soils pose. In this study, soil samples spiked with HgCl₂ through adsorption were used to test the effects of liming, soil organic matter, soil depth, and Hg concentration on the following bioaccessibility tests: dilute nitric acid at room temperature, dilute nitric acid at body temperature, Simplified Bioaccessibility Extraction Test (SBET) method, and gastric phase of the In vitro Gastrointestinal (IVG) protocol. Soil and sediment samples from Descoberto, Minas Gerais (Brazil), a city with a well-known record of Hg contamination from artisanal mining, were subjected to these bioaccessibility tests for the first time, and the different methods of estimating bioaccessible content were compared. Bioaccessible fractions in spiked samples ranged from 10% to 60%, and this high bioaccessibility was due to the highly soluble species of Hg and the short time under adsorption. In general, clay and organic matter decreased bioaccessible content. Although the soil in Descoberto is undoubtedly polluted, mercury bioaccessibility in that area is low. In general, dilute nitric acid estimated higher bioaccessible content in soil samples, whereas the SBET method estimated higher bioaccessible content in sediment samples. In multivariate analysis, two groups of bioaccessibility tests arise: one with the two nitric acid tests, and the other with SBET and the gastric phase of the IVG protocol. The addition of pepsin and glycine in the last two tests suggests a more reliable test for assessing mercury bioaccessibility.

Determination and evaluation of in vitro bioaccessibility of added vitamin C in commercially available fruit-, vegetable-, and cereal-based baby foods

Knowing the bioaccessibility of vitamin C in foodstuffs produced for infants and young children is necessary to determine their daily vitamin C intake. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the bioaccessibility of vitamin C in fruit-, vegetable-, and cereal-based baby foodstuffs by an in vitro digestion model at varying gastric pHs. The concentrations of measured vitamin C were higher than the declared amounts on their label. The bioaccessibility of vitamin C ranged from 10.4 to 43.4%, and from 0.4 to 19.2% in fruit- and vegetable-based baby foodstuffs (declared vitamin C fortified) at gastric pH 1.5 and 4, respectively. For cereal-based baby foodstuffs, the bioaccessibility ranged from 1.3 to 53.8%, and from 0.3 to 26.3% at gastric pH 1.5 and 4, respectively. As revealed in this research, the bioaccessibility of vitamin C in baby foodstuffs is very low in both gastric pH conditions.