An in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model was applied to investigate the effect of digestion on the phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. (jackfruit) pulp. The total phenol content (TPC) was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu method, and the antioxidant activities were evaluated by DPPH and ABTS assays. Phenolic compounds were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization, followed by quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS). The results showed that TPC was significantly higher after gastric digestion. Thirty phenolic compounds (hydroxybenzoic acids and derivatives, hydroxycinnamic acids and derivatives, and flavonoids) were identified. The antioxidant activities of the digested samples varied with the TPC, and there was a correlation between antioxidant activity and TPC. The present study implies that gastrointestinal digestion may improve TPC and increase the amount of free phenolic compounds, mainly related to changes in pH value and digestive enzymes.
Keywords: Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.; antioxidant capacity; in vitro digestion; phenolic compounds.