Validation of the benefits of jabuticaba extract in the metabolic processes related to the intestinal microbiota

• Grant number: 22/13648-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: April 01, 2023
• End date: March 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Agreement: SEBRAE-SP
• Principal Investigator: Philipe dos Santos
• Grantee: Philipe dos Santos
• Company: Rubian Xtract Serviços Ltda
• CNAE: Fabricação de produtos alimentícios não especificados anteriormente ; Comércio varejista de produtos alimentícios em geral ou especializado em produtos alimentícios não especificados anteriormente; produtos do fumo ; Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais
• City: Campinas
• Associated researchers: Any Elisa de Souza Schmidt Gonçalves ; Marcio Lopes ; Tuany Zambroti Cândido
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/03642-5 - Evaluation of the intestinal microbiota modulation by jabuticaba extract in a Human Microbial Ecosystem Simulator (SEMH®), BP.TT; 23/05416-2 - Evaluation and validation of the proposed concept of intestinal microbiota modulation for the treatment of comorbidities with jabuticaba peel extract., BP.TT

Abstract

Obesity is classified as a chronic non-communicable disease (NCD), like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancers, showing a growth rate in recent decades both in Brazil and in the world, and is considered a global public health problem. According to ABESO (Associação Brasileira para o Estudo da Obesidade e Síndrome Metabólica), in Brazil, this chronic disease has increased by 72% in the last thirteen years, from 11.8% in 2006 to 20.3% in 2019. Also, according to ABESO, overweight, that is, individuals with a BMI equal to or greater than 25, affects 55.4% of the Brazilian population. The main etiological factor for this disease is the chronic positive energy balance resulting from high energy intake and reduced caloric expenditure. However, other aspects can influence this energy imbalance, such as stress, anxiety, neuroendocrine, genetic, dietary, and psychosocial cultural components, in addition to the composition of the individual's intestinal microbiota. Thus, the intestinal microbiota is a perspective that has been intensively studied and evaluated as a possible important endogenous factor that influences the epidemiology of obesity. Several scientific studies have shown that alterations in the development or composition of the intestinal microbiota participate in the development of obesity. Researchers compared the gut microbiota of obese and lean people and found that obese people had fewer Bacteroidetes and more Firmicutes than lean subjects. This disproportion between these phyla may be associated with increased energy absorption from food and increased low-grade inflammation, contributing to weight gain and the emergence of another dysbiosis. Since the microbiota plays a role in obesity, the modulation of this bacterial community should have an impact on its development, so the use of natural bio-actives that can modulate the microbiota of obese or overweight individuals becomes an alternative treatment technique to combat this comorbidity. Jabuticaba, known as Brazilian berry, has high concentrations of polyphenols and anthocyanins, with an average amount of 314 mg of anthocyanins/g of fruit, which is higher than that of grapes (227 mg/g) and blackberries (290 mg /g), demonstrating that jabuticaba has great potential for complementing human food. Anthocyanins have a wide range of biological activities which include: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and the ability to modulate the intestinal microbiota. The compounds present in the jabuticaba peel have prebiotic properties that can be exploited in the formulation of value-added food products. In addition, several scientific studies have demonstrated and proven the effects of jabuticaba polyphenols in the attenuation of inflammation, and oxidative stress and in the modulation and protection of the intestinal microbiota of animal models. Therefore, the main objective of this proof of concept plan together with the partner is the technical and marketing validation of the benefits of weight management and comorbidities obtained by modulating the microbiota of the dry extract of Jabuticaba peel (Myrciaria cauliflora) containing high concentrations of bioactive compounds. The main challenges of this proposal go through the scientific/technological and marketing area. In the scientific area, the biggest challenge is to prove the benefits of the jabuticaba peel extract for the intestinal microbiota by the SHIME (Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem) method and in the marketing/economic area, the great challenge will be to demonstrate to consumers and prescribers the correlation between the benefits of modulating the gut microbiota and comorbidities such as obesity and diabetes. (AU)