Oyster mushroom powder enrichment improves nutritional quality, antioxidant potential, and cellular mineral uptake of carrot–tomato smoothie in Caco-2 cell model

This study developed carrot-tomato smoothies enriched with oyster mushroom powder (1-5 %) to enhance nutritional and functional properties. Sensory evaluation identified the 1 % formulation (S1) as optimal, with high scores for color (7.81 ± 0.46), taste (7.81 ± 0.25), texture (8.12 ± 0.38), and overall acceptability (8.09 ± 0.60). Viscosity increased to 2.88 Pa·s, indicating pseudoplastic behavior. S1 showed reduced L* (42.83 ± 0.25), a* (17.24 ± 0.12), and b* (22.01 ± 0.09) values, and higher protein (2.87 ± 0.03 %), fat (0.34 ± 0.02 %), and fiber (0.62 ± 0.03 %). HPLC confirmed p-coumaric (20.4 μg g^-1), gallic (23.8 μg g^-1), and vanillic acids (11.4 μg g^-1), contributing to 8.43 mg 100 g^-1 phenolics, and β-carotene at 7.16 mg 100 g^-1. Total phenolics (67.46 ± 0.07 mg/mL), β-carotene (12.08 ± 0.17 mg/g), and lycopene (10.45 ± 0.15 mg/g) corresponded to antioxidant activity of 30.5-73.4 %. Mineral bioavailability improved for iron (62.25 %), zinc (57.28 %), and calcium (56.19 %), supported by higher ferritin synthesis (27.19 ± 0.47ng/mg). FTIR, SEM, and microbial assessment confirmed structural and storage stability benefits.