UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICA DE VALÈNCIA Desarrollo ... - RiuNet

IV. Resultados y discusión. Capítulo III 283
ABSTRACT
A fermented almond (Prunus amygdalus cv. dulcis) milk was developed
by using different potentially probiotic bacteria. An in vitro digestion /
Caco-2 cell model was used to evaluate the effect of both non-fermented
and fermented almond milks on the mitochondrial enzymatic activities of
enterocytes. Moreover, macrophages were challenged with the digests and
the production of pro-inflammatory biomarkers TNF- and IL-6 was
quantified. Enzymatic activities increased in cell cultures exposed to almond
milks either fermented or not. Both biomarkers decreased (p < 0.05) in
fermented almond milks with either B. bifidum or B. longum. Therefore,
fermented almond milk favoured the energetic metabolism of enterocytes
and had a lower inflammatory response, suggesting it is beneficial for the
management of allergies/intolerances. Moreover, the fermentation process
enhanced the iron uptake by Caco-2 cells, especially with L. rhamnosus and
either B. bifidum or B. longum as starters, thus improving the product
bioactivity.
Keywords: Almond milk, probiotics, iron availability, inflammation.