New Study Demonstrates Effective Bioavailability of Polyphenols in a Convenient Juice Drink

Brussels, June 23, 2010 (ots/PRNewswire) - New research published in a
special online issue of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research(1),
building on an earlier report in the Journal of Agricultural and
Food Chemistry,(2) highlights that a polyphenol rich (P-R) juice can
effectively deliver the intended blend of bioavailable polyphenols
which would normally require consumption of several different
plant-derived foods and drinks. It was found that the polyphenols in
the P-R juice were effectively absorbed into the blood stream,
showing the potential to deliver these compounds via a convenient
juice drink.

The health benefits associated with eating fruit and vegetables
on a daily basis are in part linked to the ingestion of bioactive
components that include essential vitamins, minerals, fibre and
polyphenolic compounds.(3) This study, one of a number of recently
completed research projects supported by The Coca-Cola Company, was
carried out by the University of Glasgow in Scotland and investigated
the bioavailability, absorption and metabolism of a diverse spectrum
of phenolic and polyphenolic compounds in a prototype
polyphenolic-rich (P-R) juice drink. The aim of the project was to
determine if a beverage with a blend of extracts from a variety of
sources can deliver the intended phenolics to the body. This research
was designed to provide information on whether blends of fruit and
tea extracts could serve as a convenient means of delivering
additional polyphenols to the diet.

The prototype drink was produced after screening a range of
potential constituents found in natural polyphenol sources such as
grape, apple, citrus fruit and green tea. The absorption and
metabolism of polyphenol parent compounds and/or their metabolites
were analysed from plasma and urine samples collected over a 24-hour
period after ingestion of the P-R beverage by ten healthy human
volunteers. Results from the plasma pharmacokinetics and recovery of
urinary metabolites demonstrated that the availability of
flavan-3-ols from tea, flavanones from citrus, dihydrochalcones and
5-O-caffeoylquinic acid from apple, both in terms of their identity
and quantity, were, in most instances, not markedly different to
those reported in other feeding studies with green tea, orange juice,
apple cider and coffee. This indicates that the combination of
polyphenolic compounds in the P-R juice drink are absorbed and
excreted to a similar extent as they would be when consumed from
individual natural sources.(1) Furthermore the different types of
polyphenols were shown to be absorbed into the body at different
rates and in different locations along the intestinal tract
suggesting that potential protective polyphenol metabolites will be
in the blood stream for a longer period of time when given together
than if a single source of these extracts were provided on its own.

Commenting on the study Professor Alan Crozier, research lead,
said "We are very encouraged by this research, it's a great indicator
that a diversity of polyphenols can be delivered to the body by
consumption of a glass of a fruit juice and juice drink, which is
especially convenient to consumers with a busy life-style."

Additional research

A further study, published in the May issue of the Journal of
Agriculture and Food Chemistry researched the biovailability and
metabolism of flavanones, the main category of polyphenols present in
orange, in a flavanone enriched Minute Maid/Cappy orange juice
beverage. Orange juice is a rich source of flavanones which present
in both soluble and precipitated forms. The study showed that the
solubility of the flavanones, and particularly that of hesperidin, in
the juice is a key factor for the absorption of orange flavanones. In
addition, drink processing can also affect the flavanoid composition
and therefore the bioavailability of flavanones.(4)

The study, undertaken by Professor Tomas-Barberan and his team at
the CEBAS Institute (CSIC, Murcia, Spain)4 has shown that increasing
concentrations of the flavanones in the juice by adding an orange
flavanone extract affected the proportion of soluble/insoluble
compounds in the haze and increased the absorption in the gut and the
bioavailability of these compounds.

Professor Tomas-Barberan commented "Both of these studies help to
define more clearly the parameters under which polyphenols can be
made available to the body. This research also forms an important
starting point on which to base further investigations into the
benefits of polyphenols, in particular, flavanones from citrus
fruits."

The study was funded by The Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola
Company, in collaboration with leading international scientists, is
continuing to invest in research to explore the benefits of
polyphenols and ways in which to make them conveniently available to
consumers.

References

1. Borges, G. et al. Bioavailability of multiple components
following acute ingestion of a polyphenol-rich juice drink. Mol.
Nutr. Food. Res. 2010, iDOI:10.1002/mnfr.200900611.

2. Mullen, W. et al. Identification of metabolites in human
plasma and urine after consumption of a polyphenol-rich juice drink.
J. Agric. Food Chem. 2010, 58, 2586-2595

3. Crozier, A., Jaganath, I. B., Clifford, M. N., Dietary
phenolics: chemistry, bioavailability and effects on health. Nat.
Prod. Rep. 2009, 26, 1001-1043.

4. Vallejo, F. et al. Concentration and solubility of flavanones
in orange beverages affect their bioavailability in humans. J. Agric.
Food Chem. 2010, 58, 6516-6524

Notes to Editors

The Coca-Cola Company and nutrition research

Scientific research is providing key nutrition information on
Minute Maid / Cappy Juices. The Coca-Cola Company is continually
evaluating and expanding the knowledge of the nutrition and health
benefits of nutrients and polyphenols in fruits and vegetables. They
are committed to investing in ongoing research into the health
benefits of fruit juices and will further investigate the benefits of
citrus polyphenols.

These research programs lay the foundation for the development of
new beverages to meet the nutrition and wellness needs of consumers.
The Coca-Cola Company research interests cover a wide variety of
beverage-related nutrition topics, including hydration, weight
management, physical and mental performance, energy, fortification,
functional ingredients and the potential for delivering the natural
goodness of whole fruits and vegetables through juices.

Additional information on the study by Professor Crozier's group

The prototype drink contained a total of 737 micro moles of
polyphenols including flavan-3-ol monomers and polymers,
anthocyanins, flavanones, dihydrochalcones, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid,
gallic acid and, in low concentrations, flavonols, all extracted from
natural sources.

The absorption and metabolism of these components were
investigated in a short term human feeding studies in which healthy
subjects consumed 350 ml of the juice drink after which plasma and
urine samples were collected over a 24 hour period.

The parent compounds and/or their metabolites in these samples
were then identified and quantified. A number of glucuronide and
sulphate metabolites of (epi)catechins, phloretin and hesperetin were
detected in plasma within four hours of intake and subsequently more
than 30 different urinary metabolites were identified. The plasma
pharmacokinetic and recovery of urinary metabolites, both in terms of
identity and quantity, are in keeping with data that has been
previously in similar feeding studies with individual products such
as green tea, cocoa, orange juice, coffee and apple cider.

Additional information on the study by Professor Tomas-Bárberán's
group

Flavanone bioavailability was studied in three orange juice
formulas (including one rich in pulp and precipitated flavonoids). In
addition to this, the effect of flavonoid enrichment of the juices,
by adding an orange flavanone extract, was investigated. The
bioavailability of this extract dissolved in water was also evaluated
to assess food matrix effects on flavanone absorption in a crossover
study with 10 healthy volunteers.

Flavanones were evaluated in plasma samples collected every hour
for 11 hours after the intake. Flavanone excretion was also evaluated
in urine collected during 24 and 48 hours after the intake of the
beverages.

Naringenin and hesperetin sulphates and glucuronides were
detected in plasma and urine. A large inter-individual variability in
flavanone absorption and excretion was observed suggesting that
flavanone bioavailability is also dependent on the occurrence of
specific microbiota that is able to cleave the sugar moieties from
the juice glycosides, which results in aglycones that are then
absorbed from the gut.

Rückfragehinweis:
CONTACT: For press enquiries or to arrange an interview with
ProfessorCrozier and Professor Tomas-Barberan please contact: Nicola
Manomaiudom,Burson-Marsteller, Tel: +44-207-300-6176 , Email:
nicola.manomaiudom@bm.com

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