Lentils: a healthy food and a tool for a novel nutraceutical approach.

LENTILS: A HEALTHY FOOD AND A TOOL FOR A NOVEL NUTRACEUTICAL APPROACH Giovanni Caprioli1, Sauro Vittori1, Gianni Sagratini1 1School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Via St. Agostino 1, 62032, Camerino, Italy giovanni.caprioli@unicam.it Pulses, which are a major constituent of the Mediterranean diet, are an important source of macronutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber [1]. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, highlighting the importance of these foods not only for their nutritional and healthy aspects, but also for their environmental sustainability. Among legumes, lentils are of particular interest both for their nutritional and functional properties. Lentils are low in fat (approximately 1%) and consequently have a low energy value. Among fatty acids, the predominants are polyunsaturated one (PUFA, 54-58%) like linoleic and linolenic acid [2]. They are also a good source of soyasaponins, bioactive compounds that have demonstrated to possess many health properties, in particular lowering of cholesterol level [3]. This might occur directly by inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol or indirectly by inhibiting the reabsorption of bile acids, in such a way that cholesterol is used for the synthesis of new bile acids. Thus, considering the healthy properties of lentils, we decided to develop a food supplement that has been patented. The first part of this research focused on an in vivo study on rats for the evaluation of the cholesterol lowering effect of this soysaponins-rich lentil extract. The animals were subject to high cholesterol diet and then treated with lentil extract. After treatment, blood cholesterol levels of treated rats were significantly lower (16.8%) compared with control (p<0.05). Then, we decided to investigate the mechanism of action by monitoring bile acids levels in rat faeces by using UHPLC-MS/MS triple quadrupole. In rats fed with lentil extract, levels of bile acids increased significantly (about 1000 mg/kg of total bile acids) compared to the control group (p˂0.01). In conclusion, this new food supplement is able to reduce cholesterol through a mechanism that provides an increased excretion of bile acid and consequent new synthesis of the same from the endogenous cholesterol. Lentil extract can represent the base formulation of a new nutraceutical food supplement. References [1] M. J. Messina. Legumes and soybeans: overview of their nutritional profiles and health effects. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1997, 70, 439-450. [2] G. Caprioli, F. Giusti, R. Ballini, G. Sagratini, P.V. Donat, S. Vittori, D. Fiorini. Lipid Nutritional Value of Legumes: Evaluation of Different Extraction Methods and Determination of Fatty Acid Composition. Food Chemistry, 2016, 199, 965-971. [3] G. Sagratini, G. Caprioli, F. Maggi, G. Font, D. Giardinà, J. Mañes, G. Meca, M. Ricciutelli, V. Sirocchi, E. Torregiani, S. Vittori. Determination of Soyasaponins I and βg in Raw and Cooked Legumes by Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) Coupled to Liquid Chromatography (LC)−Mass Spectrometry (MS) and Assessment of Their Bioaccessibility by an in Vitro Digestion Model. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2013, 61, 1702-1709.