Characterization, digestibility and prebiotic effect of the fruit extract of Stenocereus queretaroensis F.A.C. Weber Buxbaum

Summary Digestibility is the ease with which food is converted in the digestive system into useful substances for nutrition; it comprises the hydrolysis of complex molecules and the absorption of small molecules in the intestine. The microbiota is essential in these processes and the malfunction of these microorganisms is associated with metabolic diseases. The objective of this study was to characterize and evaluate the digestibility and prebiotic effect of the Stenocereus queretaroensis fruit extract, since its nutritional value and functionality are unknown. The extract was obtained from the fruit at 4 °C using a juice extractor; then, it was filtered and lyophilized, and its partial nutritional value and quality were determined by physicochemical and proximal analyses. In addition, techniques were established to evaluate the oral, gastric, and intestinal digestibility, and to evaluate the prebiotic effect. The extract displayed a red color (L* = 17.21 ± 0.1, a* =38.61 ± 0.1, b* = 10.60 ± 0.2), with a pH of 3.78 ± 0.1, without crude fat, and 0.77 ± 0.0 % (w/w) of raw fiber, 1.36 ± 0.0 % protein, 88.82 ± 0.8 % of nitrogen-free extract, and prebiotic effect to Bacillus coagulans, Lactobacillus sporogenes and L. delbrueckii.