Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill. Fibrous fraction intake can contribute to counteract diet-induced obesity co-morbidities

• Published in: Bioactive carbohydrates and dietary fibre 2023-11, Vol.30, p.100383, Article 100383
• Main Authors: Tomazini Munhoz Moya, Amanda Maria, Alexandrino, Thaís Dolfini, Morari, Joseane, de Oliveira, Leandro Bertacchini, Torsoni, Adriana Souza, Pereira, Ana Paula Aparecida, Reguengo, Livia Mateus, Velloso, Licio Augusto, Bogusz Junior, Stanislau, Pastore, Glaucia Maria, Bicas, Juliano Lemos, Cazarin, Cinthia Baú Betim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: body weight changes; Brazilian native fruit; By-products; cerrado; Diabetes mellitus; dietary fiber; epididymis; fatty liver; Fiber; flour; fruits; Functional food; health promotion; high fat diet; histology; ingredients; lard; liver; metabolism; Non-conventional food; obesity; proximate composition; pulp; resistant starch; Solanum lycocarpum; tissue weight; vegetable oil
• ISSN: 2212-6198; 2212-6198
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bcdf.2023.100383

Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill is a Brazilian fruit found in Cerrado, popularly known as “fruta-do-lobo,” because it represents about 50% of the maned Guará wolf's diet. The proximate composition of fruta-do-lobo showed that the flour prepared from the pulp of the fruit has 23g/100g of fiber, being considered rich in fiber. Literature data suggest that dietary fiber intake can positively decrease body weight gain and its adverse side effects by physiological effects and metabolism modulation. From this perspective, this study aimed to analyze the nutritional effects of the fibrous fraction obtained after the extraction of resistant starch from wolfberry flour in mice with diet-induced obesity. Swiss mice (n = 22) were randomized into three distinct groups according to the diet offered: control (AIN 93-G diet), HF (high-fat diet – 4% vegetable oil; 31% lard), and RE (HF diet + 3% of fruta-do-lobo fibrous fraction). Unfortunately, there was no statistical difference in body weight gain among the experimental groups after 10 weeks, nor in epididymal adipose tissue depots. However, it is observed that the consumption of an HF diet promoted histological alterations in the HF group compared to the lean control group. The consumption of the RE diet did not protect the animals against the development of hepatic steatosis. Still, some biological results were observed in the RE group with a profile more similar to the lean control group than the HF group. It is important to highlight that many variables, for example, the protocol duration and dietary fiber doses supplemented, could be associated with the results observed in the present study. However, there is some evidence that fruta-do-lobo fibrous fraction could be used as an ingredient to supply dietary fiber intake and contribute to health promotion.