Lemon Juice, Sesame Paste, and Autoclaving Influence Iron Bioavailability of Hummus: Assessment by an In Vitro Digestion/Caco-2 Cell Model

• Main Authors: Nour Doumani, Isabelle Severin, Laurence Dahbi, Elias Bou-Maroun, Maya Tueni, Nicolas Sok, Marie-Christine Chagnon, Jacqueline Maalouly, Philippe Cayot
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
• Series: Foods
• Subjects: non-heme iron; plant-based food; Mediterranean and middle-eastern cuisine; hummus; food processing and formulation; in vitro digestion
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/4/474

Hummus, an iron-containing plant-based dish mainly made from chickpea purée, tahini, lemon juice and garlic, could be a valuable source of iron when bioavailable. Since the processing and formulation of food influence iron bioavailability, the present study investigated for the first time, their effects on hummus. Firstly, iron bioaccessibility was assessed on eight samples (prepared according to the screening Hadamard matrix) by in vitro digestion preceding iron dialysis. Then, iron bioavailability of four selected samples was estimated by the in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model. Total and dialyzable iron were determined by the atomic absorption spectrometry and ferritin formation was determined using an ELISA kit. Only autoclaving, among other processes, had a significant effect on iron bioaccessibility (+9.5, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Lemon juice had the highest positive effect (+15.9, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Consequently, the effect of its acidic components were investigated based on a full factorial 2³ experimental design; no significant difference was detected. Garlic’s effect was not significant, but tahini’s effect was negative (−8.9, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Despite the latter, hummus had a higher iron bioavailability than only cooked chickpeas (30.4 and 7.23 ng ferritin/mg protein, respectively). In conclusion, hummus may be a promising source of iron; further in vivo studies are needed for confirmation.