Extraction Solvent Effects on Banana Blossom Bioactive Compounds: Enhanced Bioaccessibility via Gastrointestinal Digestion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48048/tis.2026.12055Keywords:
Banana blossoms, Bioactive compounds, Phenolic content, Flavonoid content, Aqueous extraction, Bioaccessibility, Gastrointestinal digestion, Agricultural byproducts, Banana blossoms, Bioactive compounds, Phenolic content, Flavonoid content, Aqueous extraction, Bioaccessibility, Gastrointestinal digestion, Agricultural byproductsAbstract
Banana blossoms are often discarded as agricultural byproducts, yet they contain bioactive compounds with potential health-promoting properties. The transformation of these underutilized materials into functional food ingredients represents an important circular economy strategy. Banana blossoms from the Musa AAA group and M. × paradisiaca cultivars were selected for analysis. Bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity were evaluated in different anatomical parts (bracts, florets and core) through aqueous and 50% ethanol extraction. The extracts were assessed for bioaccessibility using in vitro gastrointestinal digestion following the INFOGEST protocol to determine their potential for developing functional foods. Bioactive content and antioxidant activities varied significantly across cultivars, anatomical parts, and extraction solvents. Musa AAA group showed superior performance, with aqueous core extracts achieving the highest phenolic content (1,033.57 ± 20.20 mg GAE/100 g) and aqueous bract extracts achieving the highest flavonoid content (1,529.23 ± 27.20 mg QE/100 g). Aqueous extraction was more effective than ethanol extraction. Gastrointestinal digestion produced contrasting effects: phenolic content increased substantially in certain extracts (9.1-fold in M. × paradisiaca bracts), while antioxidant activities decreased dramatically (77.4% - 99.6% reduction, p < 0.001). PCA confirmed that in vitro digestion resulted in standardized bioactive compound profiles regardless of source materials. PC-1 variance increased from 63.00% before digestion to 96.44% after digestion, demonstrating uniform bioaccessibility patterns across all samples. This study highlights banana blossoms as a promising source of bioactive compounds for functional food development, with aqueous extraction being effective and digestion ensuring uniform bioaccessibility. Their use can contribute to sustainable agricultural waste valorization.
HIGHLIGHTS
- First comprehensive evaluation of bioactive compound bioaccessibility in banana blossom anatomical parts
- Gastrointestinal digestion standardized bioactive profiles across different sources
- PC-1 explained 96.44% variance post-digestion vs. 63.00% pre-digestion
- Source selection became less critical for functional food applications
- Supports circular economy through valorization of banana blossom by-products
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
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