The Agribusiness and Food Quality group of the Alameda del Obispo de Ifapa center, together with the universities of Córdoba (UCO) and Glasgow, in Scotland, have confirmed in clinical studies with healthy volunteers that the body better absorbs the beneficial compounds of orange juice if beta-glucan is added, the soluble fiber of oats. The process that occurs in the intestine after the intake of enriched juice enhances the positive effects on the intestinal flora.
As indicated by the Discover Foundation in a note, specifically, in the tests carried out they have been able to confirm the “30% increase in the absorption of certain components that are ingested with the juice with bran”.
In the article, published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, they demonstrate that the action of fiber occurs in the intestinal tract, promoting microorganisms to transform the compounds in the juice into other simpler molecules that are available to the body. Thus, they are available for absorption and diffusion in the bloodstream, something that does not occur to the same extent with the non-enriched.
In the study, the compound added to the juice was beta-glucan, a form of soluble fiber from oats. According to the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), its consumption contributes to the reduction of postprandial glucose concentration, that is, the blood sugar level some time after eating. If this value is high, it may be an indicator of metabolic dysfunctions and the risk of developing diabetes is increased.
“We use this substance because it has been shown that it can regulate the availability of certain compounds in the body, such as cholesterol and glucose, and we have verified that it also affects the phenolic or antioxidant compounds of the orange”, indicated the Ifapa researcher Gema Pereira, author of the article.
Phenolic compounds are organic substances found in a variety of foods of plant origin, including fruits, such as oranges. Many previous studies confirmed that they have a multitude of positive effects on the body. In addition to regulating glucose, they are cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. For their part, flavanones, also present in citrus fruits, are also neuroprotective and anticancer.
The digestion of orange juice begins in the stomach, where digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and proteins. Subsequently, in the small intestine, sugars and amino acids are obtained. However, phenols (flavanones, mainly) reach the colon without significant changes. There the flora acts on them, transforming them into other simpler antioxidants, called phenolic acids, which pass into the bloodstream and carry out their anti-inflammatory and immune system promotion mission.
The tests, carried out on ten healthy volunteers, compared the amount of phenolic acids excreted in the urine after the consumption of orange juice and that obtained with the same juice enriched with beta-glucan. In this way, knowing the rate of absorption and transformation by the body of the antioxidants in the juice, it is possible to know how fiber affects the digestion process.
Specifically, the experts have focused on the identification of 16 flavanone metabolites and 39 phenolic catabolites. In both groups of people (intake of juice with or without fiber) these compounds appear in the urine. However, the amount was different.
In the case of the flavanones, a seven percent more assimilation was achieved with beta-glucan and in the case of phenols, up to 30% more absorption was achieved. In this way, they confirm that the body better assumes the antioxidants of orange juice with oats, without affecting the digestion process. The volunteers underwent urine analysis 12 hours before taking half a liter of orange juice and 24 hours after taking it. Subsequently, they repeated the process with half a liter of juice enriched with 22 grams of fiber from oats.
The experts continue their research on the characteristics and antioxidant and bioactive properties of different foods and the interaction they have with each other during digestion, with the aim of obtaining enriched products that optimize the benefits for the body, such as the orange itself with other cereals. .
