Integral use of Argentinean Solanum betaceum red fruits as functional food ingredient to prevent metabolic syndrome: effect of in vitro simulated gastroduodenal digestion

ORQUEDA, MARÍA EUGENIA; TORRES, SEBASTIAN; ZAMPINI, IRIS CATIANA; CATTANEO, FLORENCIA; DI PARDO, AGUSTINA FERNANDEZ; VALLE, ESTELA M.; JIMÉNEZ-ASPEE, FELIPE; SCHMEDA-HIRSCHMANN, GUILLERMO; ISLA, MARÍA INÉS

Heliyon

Elsevier

Año: 2020 vol. 6 p. 1 - 20

2405-8440

The ?red chilto? (Solanum betaceum Cav) is a native fruit from the Yungas forest of Argentina. Red chilto is aneglected and underutilized native species (NUS). The objective of this work was to evaluate the potentiality ofpulp, seed and skin from ?red chilto? as a functional food ingredient to add value to a native resource of ArgentineYungas to promote sustainable integral use of it. The powders have low carbohydrate and sodium content and area source of vitamin C, phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid and caffeoylquinic acid), anthocyanins, condensed tannins,carotenoids, potassium, and fiber. The phenolics of chilto powders showed, before and after simulated gastroduodenal digestion, antioxidant activity (ABTSþ; H2O2; O2; HO) and were able to inhibit enzymes related tometabolic syndrome, such as α-glucosidase, α-amylase and lipase. Chilto powder showed hypoglycemic effect byincreasing glucose adsorption, decreasing glucose diffusion rate and by promoting glucose transport across thecell membrane. These results suggest the potential of Argentinean ?red chilto? fruits as functional food ingredientsor dietary supplements to prevent metabolic syndrome principally by its antioxidant, hypoglycemic and hypolipemic effects.1. IntroductionThe study of native fruits as unconventional foods is an emerging areain Argentina (Cardozo et al., 2011; Costamagna et al., 2013; Orquedaet al., 2017). In Northwestern Argentina, many native fruits make up thefood spectrum of rural communities. Solanum betaceum Cav., called?monte tomato? or ?chilto? is one of them. S. betaceum is distributed inNorthwest Argentina in the provinces of Catamarca, Salta, Jujuy andTucuman in the ?Selva Pedemontana? of the Yungas forest, between 400and 700 m.a.s.l. It plays an outstanding ecological role in the context of theYungas since it has a high biological diversity and serves as a refuge forspecies of other altitudinal levels of the mountain forest. The SelvaPedemontana has been strongly reduced in size by the transformation ofits natural cover in areas of intensive agriculture, in particular, sugar cane.S