In vitro bioaccessibility of bioactive amines from Annona crassiflora pulp

Marolo (Annona crassiflora) is an exotic fruit from the Brazilian cerrado. This fruit is a rich source of many bioactive compounds and can be used as raw material in the development of nutraceuticals, cosmetics and drugs. This study also showed that marolo has a high content of bioactive amines. These compounds play indispensable roles in many biochemical and physiological processes, increasing longevity by providing protection from a range of age-associated pathologies and supporting physiological memory. However, the consumption of high polyamine content is detrimental to patients suffering from cancer. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the bioaccessibility in vitro of bioactive amines from marolo fruit in order to better understand the effects of human digestion. The bioaccessibility assay simulated gastrointestinal conditions (temperature, pH and enzyme action) using pepsin, pancreatin and bile salts. The fractions from digestion were collected in two independent replicates, after gastric and intestinal digestions, as well as in an assay without enzymes. Eight bioactive amines (putrescine, agmatine, cadaverine, histamine, serotonin, phenylethylamine, tryptamine and tyramine) were quantified by ion-pair HPLC using a C18 column and a fluorescence detector after post-column derivatization with ο-phthaldialdehyde. Among the investigated amines, tyramine (21.04±3.64 µg/g) and putrescine (15.26±2.24 µg/g) were the only amines in marolo. There were no statistical differences between gastric and intestinal digestion and its blanks for these amines, suggesting that the high-water solubility of the bioactive amines may contribute to the ease of extraction from the marolo fruit. Tyramine and putrescine contents after gastric digestion were 28.70±2.21 and 12.74±0.63 µg/g, respectively, and, after intestinal digestion, 28.47± 2.83 and 11.07±0.98 µg/g, respectively. Understanding the gastrointestinal effect on bioactive amines can lead to a better understanding of diet modulation with respect to avoiding migraine attacks, particularly in patients undergoing treatment with monoamine oxidase inhibitors.