Encapsulation of bioactive compounds from byproducts of two species of passionflowers: evaluation of the physicochemical properties and controlled release in a gastrointestinal model

Jorge Andrés Victoria Taborda; Walter Murillo Arango; Jonh Jairo Méndez Arteaga; Carlos Martín Guerra Almonacid

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07627

Encapsulation of bioactive compounds from byproducts of two species of passionflowers: evaluation of the physicochemical properties and controlled release in a gastrointestinal model

Heliyon. 2021 Jul 18;7(7):e07627. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07627. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Authors

Jorge Andrés Victoria Taborda¹, Walter Murillo Arango², Jonh Jairo Méndez Arteaga², Carlos Martín Guerra Almonacid³

Affiliations

¹ Engineering Department, GIPRONUT Research Group, Faculty of Forest Engineering, Tolima University, Ibagué, Colombia.
² Chemistry department, GIPRONUT Research Group, Faculty of Sciences, Tolima University, Ibagué, Colombia.
³ Pedagogy and Technological Mediations Department, GIRYSOUT Research Group, Distance Education Institute, Tolima University, Ibagué, Colombia.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the release of active components with antioxidant and antihypertensive capacity from encapsulated extracts of the peel and seeds of Gulupa (Passiflora edulis f. edulis) and Cholupa (Passiflora maliformis) in an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model. Microencapsulated extracts were prepared with enzymatically modified rice starch as the encapsulating material and ethanol extracts of seeds and peel of P. edulis f. edulis and P. maliformis as encapsulated material. Microcapsule characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy with values of 4.54-5.13 μm and ξ potential values of -6.34 mV and -6.66 mV. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis was conducted with polydispersion values from 1.33 to 1.51, and dispersion stability analysis was also conducted. The total phenol content and antioxidant activities (ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP) and ACE inhibitory activity (in vitro antihypertensive activity) were evaluated after each stage of digestion, with values greater than 80% of activity before gastrointestinal transit and with values greater than 55% activity after the end of gastrointestinal transit. Gastrointestinal evaluation of the encapsulated extracts was performed with an ex vivo model using pig intestines and simulating the conditions of digestion in three phases: the gastric (pH 2.0 with 1.0 M HCl +0.5 g/L pepsin), enteric (pH 8.0 with Krebs solution +1.0 mL/L bile) and final enteric (pH 7.5 Krebs solution only) phases. The microencapsulation of passionflower extracts showed good behavior against changes in pH and enzymatic activities throughout digestion, thus promoting a controlled release and targeted delivery of bioactive compounds, undergoing a paracellular mechanism through the intestinal barrier to preserve the antioxidant activity and ACE inhibitory that was shown by the extracts before encapsulation of the material.

Keywords: ACE inhibitory activity; Antioxidant activity; Cholupa; Gastrointestinal digestion; Gulupa; Microencapsulation; Phenolic compounds.