Effect of high pressure processing on gastrointestinal fate of carotenoids in mango juice: Insights obtained from macroscopic to microscopic scales

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and high-pressure homogenization (HPH) were applied to mango juice to explore their effects on gastric retention rate (G-CRR), bioaccessibility (BAC) of total and individual carotenoids, and the corresponding mechanisms from macroscopic to microscopic scales. Compared to the control, both HHP and HPH at 50 MPa had no significant effect on BAC and G-CRR, whereas HPH at 100 MPa significantly increased BAC by 44.33% and G-CRR by 11.84%. Further HHP treatments (particularly at 400 MPa) on the 100 MPa-HPH-pretreated samples significantly increased BAC by 71.37% and G-CRR by 24.24%. Violaxanthins/esters were less stable than carotenes in the stomach, resulting in lower bioaccessibility of violaxanthins/esters. G-CRR and BAC were negatively correlated with the viscosity and particle size of juice, whereas they were positively correlated with the solubility/dispersibility of carotenoids. In addition, pectin-carotenoid interactions may also be an important factor affecting the digestive fate of carotenoids in juice.Industrial relevance: High pressure processing (High hydrostatic pressure, HHP, and high pressure homogeniza-tion, HPH) is a non-thermal technique and its effect on the bioaccessibility of carotenoids in fruits and vegetables have attracted attention from researchers. Our research found that HPH and HHP combined treatment could decrease the particle size of mango juice, and increase the viscosity and turbidity as well as the bioaccessibility of carotenoids therein. This technology can be used to preserve the physical stability of mango juice and improve the nutritional value.