Chemical Composition and In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Antioxidant Phytochemicals from Selected Edible Nuts

Abstract

The ultimate health benefits of peanuts and tree nuts partially depend on the effective gastrointestinal delivery of their phytochemicals. The chemical composition and in vitro bioaccessibility of tocopherols, tocotrienols and phenolic compounds from peanuts and seven tree nuts were evaluated by analytical and chemometric methods. Total fat and dietary fiber (g 100 g−1) ranged from 34.2 (Emory oak acorn) to 72.5 (pink pine nut; PPN) and from 1.2 (PPN) to 22.5 (pistachio). Samples were rich in oleic and linoleic acids (56–87 g 100 g−1 oil). Tocopherols and tocotrienols (mg·kg−1) ranged from 48.1 (peanut) to 156.3 (almond) and 0 (almond, pecan) to 22.1 (PPN) and hydrophilic phenolics from 533 (PPN) to 12,896 (Emory oak acorn); flavonoids and condensed tannins (mg CE.100 g−1) ranged from 142 (white pine nut) to 1833 (Emory oak acorn) and 14 (PPN) to 460 (Emory oak acorn). Three principal components explained 90% of the variance associated with the diversity of antioxidant phytochemicals in samples. In vitro bioaccessibility of tocopherols, tocotrienols, hydrophilic phenolics, flavonoids, and condensed tannins ranged from 11–51%, 16–79%, 25–55%, 0–100%, and 0–94%, respectively. Multiple regression analyses revealed a potential influence of dietary fiber, fats and/or unsaturated fatty acids on phytochemical bioaccessibility, in a structure-specific manner.

Antioxidant Food Components for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases: Effects, Mechanisms, and Clinical Studies

“…Nuts contain several antioxidant components and possess many bioactivities [ 111 – 113 ]. Moderate intake of nuts also attenuated the risk factors of CVDs.…”

Optimization and validation of a simplified methodology for simultaneous extraction of fatty acids and tocopherol homologues in peanuts

“…Tocopherols are mostly present as αand ϒ-tocopherol homologues. Depending on the peanut varieties, their concentrations fluctuate between 18-57 mg kg -1 oil and 36-78 mg kg -1 oil, respectively (Carrín & Carelli, 2010;Hu et al, 2019;Stevens-Barrón et al, 2019). In addition, peanuts also contain δand β-tocopherol homologues at levels lower than 10 mg kg -1 (Costa De Camargo et al, 2016;Hejtmánková, Táborský, Kudelová, & Kratochvílová, 2018).…”

“…Fat composition changes in nuts are usually evaluated after oil isolation using chemical or mechanical procedures (Beltrán Sanahuja, Maestre Pérez, Grané Teruel, & Martín Carratalá, 2009). After that, the FA and tocopherol contents of peanuts are determined in the extracted oil (Costa De Camargo et al, 2016;Maguire, O'Sullivan, Galvin, O'Connor, & O'Brien, 2004;Stevens-Barrón et al, 2019), although different oil treatments are used for each of the compound's families.…”

Oxidative Stress Biomarkers, Nut-Related Antioxidants, and Cardiovascular Disease

“…Edible nuts and seeds are also sources of nutrient antioxidants, such as selenium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, with emphasis on tocopherols [54,57,58] (Table 3). However, their metabolic effects seem to be dependent on the bioaccessibility in the gastrointestinal tract, which may be influenced by dietary fiber and MUFA content of the nut [59].…”