Biocompatible Food Matrix for Digestibility and Bioavailability of β-Carotene, Resveratrol, and Gypenosides

OBJECTIVE: The bioaccessibility and potential bioavailability of β-carotene, resveratrol and gypenosides are significantly influenced by co-ingested food matrices. METHOD: digestibility and potential bioavailability of these compounds using diverse carriers, including liquid (coffee, sprinkled and plain water), dairy (fruited and plain yogurt), solid (bread with sauce), and fruit/vegetable-based matrices (juices and smoothies). RESULTS: Among liquid matrices, coffee significantly enhanced the digestibility and bioavailability of resveratrol (23%, 21%) and gypenosides (17%, 16.44%) but markedly reduced β-carotene uptake (0.23%, 0.14%) due to interference with micelle formation. Conversely, sprinkled water moderately improved β-carotene bioavailability (3.13%, 2.31%). Solid matrices, particularly bread + sauce, enhanced bioavailability of β-carotene (11%) and resveratrol (2.40%) due to the presence of emulsifying lipids. Dairy matrices showed mixed effects; plain and fruited yogurts improved gypenosides bioavailability (6.93-7.98%) but had limited benefit for resveratrol and β-carotene due to protein compound interactions. Among fruit/vegetable matrices, tomato juice and smoothies consistently enhanced bioavailability for all three compounds, especially gypenosides (17%, 8.83%) and β-carotene (6.91%, 6.28%), likely due to lycopene content, natural emulsifiers, and disrupted cellular structure. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight that delivery matrix critically affects the digestive fate and potential efficacy of β-carotene, resveratrol, and gypenosides and structurally disrupted matrices offering superior absorption potential.