Bioaccessibility and Antioxidant Capacity of Alkaloids from Microencapsulated Biomass of Eggplant (Solanum Melongena L.)

Eggplant is a vegetable grown worldwide, and due to quality standards, large amounts of biomass are generated after harvest. Biomass is considered a source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate microencapsulated alkaloids' bioaccessibility (BA) and antioxidant capacity from eggplant fruit biomass. Eggplant biomass was collected, and the total alkaloid content, antioxidant capacity, and alkaloid profile were determined before and after the digestion in vitro for encapsulated and non-encapsulated alkaloids. The bioaccessibility of microencapsulated alkaloids (12 % BA) increased three-fold compared to non-encapsulated (4 %BA). The antioxidant capacity of digested microcapsules measured by ORAC and TEAC assays was increased (30 and 8 µmol TE/g powder, respectively), and their bioaccessibility was higher than non-encapsulate alkaloids. Solamargine and solasonine decreased during in vitro digestion by 17 and 15 %BA, respectively. However, microencapsulation showed the protection of these alkaloids during in vitro digestion. This study demonstrates that microencapsulated alkaloids from eggplant biomass manage to protect bioactive compounds from in vitro digestion, having antioxidant potential mainly through hydrogen atom transfer. Therefore, microencapsulation represents an alternative to protect alkaloids and give added value to eggplant plant biomass.