In vitro digestion effect on mineral bioaccessibility and antioxidant bioactive compounds of plant-based beverages

Consumption of plant-based beverages (PBB) is a growing trend; and have been used as viable substitutes for dairy based products. To date, no study has comparatively analyzed mineral composition and effect of in vitro digestion on the bioaccessibility of different PBB. The aim of this research was to investigate the content of essential minerals (calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn)) and to estimate the effect of in vitro digestion in plant-based beverages, and their antioxidant bioactive compounds (phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity). Moreover, the presence of antinutritional factors, such as myo-inositol phosphates fractions, were evaluated. Samples of PBB (rice, cashew nut, almond, peanut, coconut, oat, soy, blended or not with another ingredients, fortified with minerals or naturally present) and milk for comparison were evaluated. TPC ranged from 0.2 mg GAEq/L for coconut to 12.4 mg GAEq/L for rice and, the antioxidant capacity (DPPH) ranged from 3.1 to 306.5 µmol TE/L for samples containing peanut and oat, respectively. Only a few samples presented myo-inositol phosphates fractions in their composition, mostly IP5 and IP6, especially cashew nut beverages. Mineral content showed a wide range for Ca, ranging from 10 to 1697.33 mg/L for rice and coconut, respectively. The Mg content ranged from 6.29 to 251.23–268.43 mg/L for rice and cashew nut beverages, respectively. Fe content ranged from 0.76 mg/L to 12.89 mg/L for the samples of rice. Zinc content ranged from 0.57 mg/L to 8.13 mg/L for samples of oat and soy, respectively. Significant variation was observed for Ca (8.2–306.6 mg/L) and Mg (1.9–107.4 mg/L) dialyzed between the beverages, with lower concentrations of Fe (1.0 mg/L) and Zn (0.5 mg/L) in dialyzed fractions. This study provides at least 975 analytically determined laboratory results, providing important information for characterization and comparison of different plant-based beverages.