Spinning gold: Unraveling the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of Pitanga’s carotenoid microfibers

The design and development of nanoparticle- and microparticle-based delivery systems incorporating carotenoids into carrier materials offers multiple advantages, including enhancing the bio-efficacy of these compounds due to improving their bioaccessibility and bioavailability. This study introduced pitanga saponified carotenoid extract (PSCE) and pitanga non-saponified carotenoid extract (PSCE) in a 12 % zein/1 %PEO solution and electrospun for fiber production. Then, the fibers were characterized, and their bioaccessibility and bioavailability were also evaluated. The average mean diameter of carotenoid non-saponified microfiber (CNSM) and saponified (CSM) was 5.76 ± 1.7 μm and 4.92 ± 1.4 μm, respectively, indicating that the saponification process reduces the viscosity of the solution resulting in the development of finer microfibers. Carotenoid encapsulation efficiency ranged between 10.3 % and 8.43 % for saponified and non-saponified extracts, respectively. Surprisingly, no carotenoid release was detected from both microfibers after 72 h. Carotenoid bioaccessibility was higher in pitanga pulp compared to both microfibers. The xanthophylls showed higher bioavailability in pitanga pulp. The study's results suggest that the microfibers' structure significantly influenced carotenoid release and cellular absorption more than the chemical structure of carotenoids themselves.