Edible foxtail millet flour stabilises and retain the in vitro activity of blueberry bioactive components

Kit‐Kay Mak; Thirumurugan Rathinasabapathy; Shanta Sankaran; Murugesh Kandasamy; Elaine Chan Wan Ling; Madhu Katyayani Balijepalli; Sreenivasa Rao Sagineedu; Mallikarjuna Rao Pichika

Index: 10.1111/ijfs.13762

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Abstract

Blueberries, a functional food, are rich in bioactive polyphenols and anthocyanins. However, the shelf life is short and requires cold storage. This study provides evidence that edible foxtail millet flour (FMF) efficiently sorbs only blueberry bioactive components (polyphenols and anthocyanins) but not sugars, improves their stability and retains the activity. The concentration of blueberry polyphenols and anthocyanins sorbed to FMF ranged from 6 to 113 and 4 to 41 mg g−1, respectively. The concentration of bioactive components in one serving of blueberries (73 g) is equivalent to those present in 1.2 g of blueberry‐enriched foxtail millet flour (BFMF). The blueberry bioactive sorbed onto FMF remained stable for at least 16 weeks at 40 °C. BFMF eluates inhibited α‐glucosidase enzyme activity and scavenged the free radicals conferring that blueberry bioactive components in BFMF retained the activity. The sorption process described here provides a practical way of creating low glycemic protein‐rich edible flour enriched with plant bioactive compounds without sugars.