Studying the impact of digestion on oregano’s phenolic compounds
A study published in the Journal of Food Science examines the effect of the digestive process on the oregano’s phenolic compounds.
A study published in the Journal of Food Science examines the effect of the digestive process on the oregano’s phenolic compounds. Oregano is a rich source of polyphenols that have shown bioactive properties like anti-inflammatory potential. However, little is known of the gastrointestinal fate of oregano polyphenols, which is imperative to fully understand its bio-accessibility.
To evaluate the effect of in vitro gastrointestinal (GI) digestion on the phenolic compounds of three species of oregano (Hedeoma patens, Lippia graveolens, and Lippia palmeri), the researchers evaluated the total reducing capacity, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacity before and after in vitro GI digestion. In addition, they identified and quantified (by UPLC-PDA) the phenolic compounds of the three species before and after in vitro GI digestion.
The phenolic compounds identified were apigenin-7-glucoside, scutellarein, luteolin, luteolin-7-glucoside, phloridzin, and chlorogenic acid. The researchers found that the GI digestion process affected the levels of the phenolic compounds in addition to the reducing capacity, flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacity of all three species. It was determined that the fluctuations were largely attributable to pH changes. The researchers concluded that since the study shows that the phenolic compounds of oregano are affected during each GI phase, it is “imperative to promote new studies on the properties of digested phenolic compounds in order to better understand their bioaccessibility and bioavailability.”