In vitro bioaccessibility of carotenoids and tocopherols from fruits and vegetables

[Aim of the study]: To assess the in vitro bioaccessibility of carotenoids, including xanthophyll esters, and tocopherols from fruits and vegetables.[Results]: Stability for carotenoids and tocopherols was over 70%. Xanthophyll esters were cleaved by cholesterol esterase but not by human pancreatic lipase. Less than 40% of the β-cryptoxanthin initially present was hydrolyzed and the amount of free xanthophylls recovered was higher when liquid was used than when fresh homogenized matrix was employed. cis-Isomers of β-carotene and lutein did not significantly increase during the process. Xanthophylls were more efficiently transferred into supernatants than tocopherols and β-carotene. cis-Carotenoids, epoxy-xanthophylls and ester forms were also transferred.[Conclusion]: The results are consistent with observations in other in vitro digestion models and human studies and support the usefulness of in vitro assessment to study food-related determinants of the bioavailability of carotenoids and tocopherols from fruits and vegetables.The support of the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (AGL 2002-04059-C02-01) and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (RCMN C03/08) is acknowledged.Peer reviewe