Digestive stability, micellarization, and uptake by Caco-2 human intestinal cell of chlorophyll derivatives from different preparations of pea (Pisum sativum L.)

J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Sep 24;56(18):8379-86. doi: 10.1021/jf8013684. Epub 2008 Aug 30.

Abstract

The digestive stability, efficiency of micellarization, and cellular accumulation of the chlorophyll pigments of different preparations of pea were investigated, using an in vitro digestion procedure coupled with human intestinal Caco-2 cells. Fresh pea (FP), cooked fresh pea (CFP), frozen pea (FZP), cooked frozen pea (CFZP), and canned pea (CP) were subjected to simulated digestion. Although after digestion the pigment profile was modified for all samples, except CP, allomerization reactions and greater destruction of chlorophylls were observed in only FP, which should be due to enzymes in FP that were denaturalized in the rest of the test foods. A pigment extract of CFZP was also subjected to in vitro digestion, showing a positive effect of the food matrix on the pigment digestive stability. The transfer of the chlorophyll pigments from the digesta to the micellar fraction was significantly more efficient in CFZP (57%, p < 0.0001), not significantly ( p > 0.05) different between CFP, FZP, and CP (28-35%), and lowest in FP (20%). Pheophorbide a stood out as the most-micellarized chlorophyll derivative in all of the samples, reaching levels of up to 98%. Incubation of Caco-2 cells with micellar fractions at the same concentration prepared from each test food showed that pigment absorption was considerably lower ( p < 0.006) in cells incubated with FP, whereas there were no differences among the rest of the preparations. Therefore, factors associated with the food matrix could inhibit or mediate the chlorophyll pigment absorption. These results demonstrated that the industrial preservation processes of peafreezing and canningas well as the cooking have a positive effect on the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of the chlorophyll pigments with respect to the FP sample, emphasizing CFZP with greater bioaccesibilty degree.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biological Availability
  • Caco-2 Cells
  • Chlorophyll / analogs & derivatives
  • Chlorophyll / analysis
  • Chlorophyll / metabolism*
  • Digestion*
  • Drug Stability
  • Food Preservation
  • Freezing
  • Hot Temperature
  • Humans
  • Intestinal Mucosa / metabolism*
  • Micelles*
  • Pisum sativum / chemistry*

Substances

  • Micelles
  • Chlorophyll
  • pheophorbide a