Proceedings of International Congress on Bioactive Compounds and International Workshop on Bioactive Compounds
Proceedings of 2nd International Congress on Bioactive Compounds

Unconventional Food Plants (UFP) is a term used to characterize plants unavailable in the global commercialization circuit with one or more edible parts. These plants can be native, exotic, cultivated, or spontaneous. As an example, we have the UFP, almeirão-de-árvore (Lactuca canadensis), capiçoba (Erechtites valerianifolius), and jambu (Acmella oleracea) that belong to the Asteraceae family naturally found throughout the Brazilian territory. The nutritional characteristics of these plants can be similar, or even superior, to some conventional plants that are widely consumed, such as lettuce and chicory. However, there is still a gap in the literature on UFP. Therefore, studies exploring these species' food and bioactive potential become relevant. In this context, the objective of this study was to determine the chemical profile of UFP of almeirão-de-árvore, capiçoba, and jambu, before and after the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process. The samples were acquired at Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais (EPAMIG), in Prudente Morais, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The chemical profile of the samples before and after in vitro digestion was determined by mass spectrometry with paper spray ambient in negative ionization mode (-3.5kV). The samples were submitted to in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, comprising the oral, gastric, and intestinal phases. The entire experiment was carried out in triplicate. The attempt to identify the compounds was based on comparing the mass-load ratios (m/z) and fragments described in the literature with the instrumental data obtained. In the present identification attempt, compounds belonging to several chemical classes, such as phenolic acids and flavonoids, were found. In the fresh almeirão-de-árvore sample, 32 compounds were observed, 20 in the capiçoba sample and 41 in the jambu sample. In the respective bioaccessible fractions, 27, 22, and 22 compounds were detected. It was noted that the in vitro digestion process could lead to the degradation of some compounds or even the formation of new compounds. It is verified that the compounds eicosanoic acid (m/z 311), caftaric acid (m/z 311 and 312), coumaroyl hexoside isomer (m/z 325), and esculin (m/z 339) were identified only in the methanolic extract of three samples. The flavonoids myricetin monoacetate (m/z 378), kaempferol-O-glycoside (m/z 447), and luteolin glucoside (m/z 447) were detected only in the bioaccessible fractions of the three samples. In contrast, the dicaffeoylquinic acid isomer (m/z 515) was present in all samples before and after in vitro digestion. Factors related to molecular complexity and intrinsic chemical properties of the compounds, as well as changes in pH during the digestion process and the interaction with other constituents of the food matrix, may explain these changes. It is concluded that the chemical profile of the bioaccessible fraction of all samples differed from the chemical profile presented by the samples before the in vitro digestion process. However, there is a need for more studies that seek to know about the breakdown of food constituents during digestion since the possible effectiveness of plant metabolites in health is mainly determined based on the availability of these compounds.