Microencapsulation of Saskatoon berry polyphenols in inulin/galactooligosaccharide matrices: Effects on bioaccessibility, transepithelial transport, and bioactivity.

内容摘要

Polyphenols from Saskatoon berry are promising functional ingredients, yet their value depends on stability during processing, digestion, and transepithelial transfer. This study evaluated freeze-dried inulin (INU) and inulin/galactooligosaccharide (INU/GOS) matrices as carriers for purified Saskatoon berry phenolics. Powders containing 5-25% GOS were characterized by SEM, simulated gastrointestinal digestion, Caco-2 transport, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory assays, prebiotic testing, and cytocompatibility assessment. Initial phenolic retention remained high (88.5-92.7%). Digestion markedly reshaped the profile: apparent total polyphenol bioaccessibility reached 106.2-122.6%, anthocyanins were the least stable fraction, and phenolic acids together with selected flavonols dominated the post-digestive pool. Transepithelial transfer was selective; INU90:GOS10 showed the most favorable overall transfer profile, whereas INU80:GOS20 yielded the highest absolute phenolic content after transport. GOS-containing systems improved selected antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and prebiotic responses, while pure inulin showed the highest cytocompatibility. Overall, carrier composition modulated the post-digestive functionality of Saskatoon berry polyphenols.