Vellemans Sarah, Ide Antoine, Duchatelet Marion, Dubois Rachel, Demol Antoine, Mignolet Eric, Larondelle Yvan, Delzenne Nathalie, Debier Cathy
Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, UCLouvain, Croix du Sud 4-5, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, UCLouvain, Croix du Sud 4-5, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Food Res Int. 2025 Oct;218:116750. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116750. Epub 2025 Jun 16.
Pomegranate seed oil has been widely studied for its health-promoting properties. However, the bioavailability of its conjugated linolenic acids, an essential factor for assessing their impact on health, remains poorly understood. This study used the harmonized in vitro protocol INFOGEST to investigate the bioaccessibility of pomegranate seed oil in comparison to olive oil. Bioaccessibility, key aspect of bioavailability, refers to the proportion of a nutrient released in the gastrointestinal tract and available for intestinal absorption. It was determined by measuring the ratio of fatty acids present in the absorbable fraction (monoglycerides and free fatty acids) to total fatty acids quantified by gas chromatography following solid-phase extraction. Results showed that the overall bioaccessibility of pomegranate seed oil was equivalent to that of olive oil. Notably, punicic acid (in pomegranate seed oil) and oleic acid (in olive oil) - both 18‑carbon fatty acids present in equivalent quantities in the two oils, showed high and equivalent bioaccessibility. The presence of proteins (whey and soy protein isolates) did not affect the bioaccessibility of the major fatty acids under experimental conditions. The recovery index was high for all fatty acids, indicating minor degradation during in vitro digestion, and was not affected by the presence of oxygen. In conclusion, punicic acid is efficiently released by digestive lipases, suggesting good bioaccessibility of pomegranate seed oil. This finding paves the way for its potential application in oral therapeutic use.
石榴籽油因其促进健康的特性而受到广泛研究。然而，其共轭亚麻酸的生物利用度，作为评估其对健康影响的一个重要因素，仍知之甚少。本研究使用统一的体外方案INFOGEST来研究石榴籽油与橄榄油相比的生物可及性。生物可及性是生物利用度的关键方面，指的是在胃肠道中释放并可供肠道吸收的营养素比例。它是通过测量在固相萃取后通过气相色谱法定量的可吸收部分（甘油单酯和游离脂肪酸）中存在的脂肪酸与总脂肪酸的比例来确定的。结果表明，石榴籽油的总体生物可及性与橄榄油相当。值得注意的是，石榴籽油中的石榴酸和橄榄油中的油酸——这两种油中等量存在的两种18碳脂肪酸，显示出高且相当的生物可及性。蛋白质（乳清蛋白和大豆分离蛋白）的存在在实验条件下不影响主要脂肪酸的生物可及性。所有脂肪酸的回收率都很高，表明在体外消化过程中降解程度较小，并且不受氧气存在的影响。总之，消化脂肪酶能有效释放石榴酸，表明石榴籽油具有良好的生物可及性。这一发现为其在口服治疗用途中的潜在应用铺平了道路。
