Bigels for 3D food printing with pequi carotenoids incorporated: Insights about in vitro dynamic gastrointestinal digestion, cytotoxicity and antioxidant bioactivity assessment

• Grant number: 24/10635-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: January 30, 2025
• End date: January 29, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Veridiana Vera de Rosso
• Grantee: Caroline Ramos da Silva Souza
• Supervisor: Antonio Augusto Vicente
• Host Institution: Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade (ISS). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade do Minho (UMinho), Portugal
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/00596-7 - Study of the replacement of tartrazine yellow dye by Pequi carotenoids extracted using high performance ionic liquids, BP.DD

Abstract

Carotenoids are interesting functional ingredients as color is a crucial sensory attribute that consumers analyze to determine product quality, appearance, and acceptability. Pequi carotenoids, a lipophilic pigment responsible for the characteristic fluorescent yellow color, were incorporated into the delivery system called bigel. Bigels were developed based on agar-xanthan gum hydrogel, and sunflower oil-soy lecithin oleogel. Adding carotenoids into delivery systems, carotenoids bioaccessibility can increase as the bigel can act against the effects of the external environment, and protect and control the release of carotenoids throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, this project aims to perform an in vitro dynamic gastrointestinal digestion to evaluate carotenoid bioaccessibility. In addition, cell-based studies will be carried out after in vitro digestion, and cytotoxicity and oxidative stress will be assessed. We aim to provide insight into the carotenoids' bioaccessibility and a more realistic physiological relevance due to the uses of cutting-edge science including an in vitro dynamic digestion model and a post-digestion assessment. In addition, it highlights the protective potential effect that bigels as delivery systems can confer on carotenoids and their use as functional food ingredients capable of providing antioxidant benefits after consumption.