Cultivar and Harvest Time of Almonds Affect Their Antioxidant and Nutritional Profile through Gut Microbiota Modifications
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Delgado-Osorio, Adriana; Navajas Porras, Beatriz; Pérez Burillo, Sergio; Hinojosa Nogueira, Daniel José; Toledano Marín, Ángela; Pastoriza de la Cueva, Silvia; Paliy, Oleg; Rufián Henares, José ÁngelEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Almond Cultivar Harvest time
Date
2024-01-09Referencia bibliográfica
Delgado-Osorio, A.; Navajas-Porras, B.; Pérez-Burillo, S.; Hinojosa-Nogueira, D.; Toledano-Marín, Á.; Pastoriza de la Cueva, S.; Paliy, O.; Rufián-Henares, J.Á. Cultivar and Harvest Time of Almonds Affect Their Antioxidant and Nutritional Profile through Gut Microbiota Modifications. Antioxidants 2024, 13, 84. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox13010084
Sponsorship
Plan propio de Investigación y Transferencia of the University of Granada under the program “Intensificación de la Investigación, modalidad B”; National Science Foundation award DBI-1335772Abstract
Almonds are a rich source of beneficial compounds for human health. In this work, we
assessed the influence of almond cultivars and harvest time on their morphological (length, width
and thickness) and nutritional (ash, moisture, proteins) profiles. We also evaluated the impact of an
in vitro digestion and fermentation process on almonds’ antioxidant and phenolic content, as well as
their support of gut microbiota community and functionality, including the production of short-chain
fatty acids (SCFAs), lactic and succinic acids. The length, width, and thickness of almonds varied
significantly among cultivars, with the latter two parameters also exhibiting significant changes
over time. Moisture content decreased with maturity, while protein and ash increased significantly.
Total antioxidant capacity released by almonds after digestion and fermentation had different trends
depending on the antioxidant capacity method used. The fermentation step contributed more to the
antioxidant capacity than the digestion step. Both cultivar and harvest time exerted a significant
influence on the concentration of certain phenolic compounds, although the total content remained
unaffected. Similarly, fecal microbiota modulation depended on the cultivar and maturity stage,
with the Guara cultivar and late maturity showing the largest effects. Cultivar type also exerted a
significant impact on the concentration of SCFAs, with the Guara cultivar displaying the highest total
SCFAs concentration. Thus, we conclude that cultivar and harvest time are key factors in shaping
the morphological and nutritional composition of almonds. In addition, taking into account all the
results obtained, the Guara variety has the best nutritional profile.