Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access

Abstract

Polyphenol-rich Blackcurrant Pomace Counteracts Impaired Antioxidant Status and Serum Lipid Profile in Rabbits Fed a Diet High in Unsaturated Fat

Julia Jarosławska, Jerzy Juśkiewicz, Zenon Zduńczyk and Paulius Matusevicius

Blackcurrant pomace, a by-product of juice fabrication with promising health benefits, is currently an unutilized nutritional resource. In the presented study an influence of dietary supplementation with blackcurrant pomace, constituting a source of antioxidant phytochemicals and fiber, on selected metabolic biomarkers of rabbits was evaluated. A 28-d experiment carried out on 34-d old rabbits addressed the analysis of physiological properties of two types of diet, standard chow and with additional 10% of lard, each supplemented with unprocessed blackcurrant pomace rich in polyphenols or a processed one, partly deprived of polyphenolic fraction. Twenty rabbits were allocated to four groups fed the following diets: Standard chow +15% of either unprocessed or processed blackcurrant pomace or lard-enriched diet +15% of either unprocessed or processed blackcurrant pomace. Irrespectively of the diet type, inclusion of unprocessed, compared to processed blackcurrant pomace, significantly improved antioxidant status of rabbits expressed by lower level of substances reacting with thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) in the liver and kidneys, as well as higher level of serum total antioxidant status (TAS), integral antioxidant capacities of hydrophilic (ACW) and lipophilic (ACL) substances. Upon lard-enriched diet, unprocessed blackcurrant abundant in polyphenols affected more beneficially serum triacylglycerides (TAG), total cholesterol (TC) and insulin levels. The antioxidant, hypolipidemic and hypoinsulinemic action of the blackcurrant supplement should be ascribed to the polyphenolic constituents present in the pomace.