In Vivo Glycemic Response of Fruit-Based Mango (Mangifera indica) and Pineapple (Ananas comosus) Bars in In Vitro and In Silico Enzyme Inhibitory Effects Studies.

The habitual consumption of snacks has the potential to enrich or harm the diet. They can contribute to excessive caloric intake and hyperglycemia. Thus, there is an increasing interest in snacks with health-promoting properties. This study aimed to demonstrate the beneficial effect of two fruit-based bars on glucose levels through in vitro, in vivo, and in silico assays. Mango (Mangifera indica L.) and pineapple (Ananas comosus L.) bars (MB and PB) were prepared, and chemical composition, postprandial glycemic response, glycemic index (GI), and glycemic load (GL) were evaluated. The inhibitory effect of fruit bar extracts on α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity and their respective molecular docking was assessed. MB and PB showed the lowest postprandial glycemic response vs. the control bar (p < 0.005), a lower GI (CB: 64.20, PB: 53.20, MB: 40.40), and a GL of 10.9 (CB), 7.9 (PB), and 6.1 (MB), (p < 0.05). MB and PB showed the highest inhibition % of α-amylase (61.44 and 59.37%, respectively) and α-glucosidase (64.97 and 64.57%). Naringenin (-1692.5985 and -2757.674 kcal/mol) and ferulic acid (-1692.8904 and -2760.3513 kcal/mol) exhibited more favorable interaction energies against α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity. The presence of polyphenols from the fruit influenced enzymatic inhibition. Likewise, the dietary fiber in the bars evaluated allowed us to observe a positive effect that favors glycemic control, making them a healthy alternative for snacking.

In search of better snacks: ohmic-heating nixtamalized flour and amaranth addition increase the nutraceutical and nutritional potential of vegetable-enriched tortilla chips.

BACKGROUND: Nixtamalized flour snacks such as tortilla chips are widely consumed across the world, but they are nutritionally poor and contribute to obesity and other non-communicable diseases. The production of healthy versions of such snacks, by incorporating vegetables and improving the quality of the flours used in their formulation, could help address these nutritional challenges. This study compared the fortification of baked tortilla chips with vegetable leaf powders (kale and wild amaranth at 0%, 4%, 8%, and 16% w/w) and using two types of nixtamalized flour: traditional (TNF) and with ohmic heating (OHF). RESULTS: Overall, the use of OHF increased 1.88 times the fibre in enriched and non-enriched snacks with respect to TNF, but the latter had 1.85 times more protein. Addition of 16% of vegetable powders increased protein (kale = 1.4-fold; amaranth = 1.3-fold) and dietary fibre (kale = 1.52-fold; amaranth = 1.7-fold). Amaranth enrichment improved total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of chips at least 1.2 and 1.63 times, respectively. OHF chips also had higher bound TPC than TNF ones, regardless of vegetable addition. Combinations of OHF with 16% amaranth produced chips 1.74-fold higher in antioxidant capacity than non-enriched ones, due to increased content of phenolics such as ferulic acid. CONCLUSION: This work showed that tortilla chips made using nixtamalized flour produced with assisted ohmic heating, alone or in combination with wild amaranth leaf powder, could be used in the production of healthy maize snacks to enhance their prospective antioxidant activity and nutritional value. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.