Antioxidant/Anti-Inflammatory Potential and Sensory Acceptance of Granola Bars Developed with Sorghum Sprout Flour Irradiated with UV-A LED Light

• Published in: Foods Vol. 14; no. 10; p. 1787
• Main Authors: Ruiz-Hernández, Alan A., Rouzaud-Sández, Ofelia, Valenzuela-González, Maribel, Domínguez-Avila, J. Abraham, González-Aguilar, Gustavo A., Robles-Sánchez, Maribel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 17.05.2025; MDPI
• Subjects: Acceptability; Analysis; anti-inflammatory; Antidiabetics; Antioxidants; Bioavailability; Biomarkers; Body weight; Catechin; Climate change; emerging technologies; Energy bars (Food); Enzymes; Food; functional foods; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Gallic acid; Health aspects; In vivo methods and tests; Inflammation; Irradiation; Light emitting diodes; Metabolic disorders; Methods; Natural & organic foods; Nitric oxide; Obesity; Overweight; Phenolic compounds; Phenols; Seeds; Sensory evaluation; Sorghum; Sprouts; Trends; Ultraviolet radiation; Mexico; United States > US; anti-inflammatory; emerging technologies; functional foods; nitric oxide; sensory evaluation; obesity
• ISSN: 2304-8158; 2304-8158
• DOI: 10.3390/foods14101787

Overweight and obesity are worldwide problems; several strategies have been applied to counteract them, including the development of functional foods with specific bioactivities. Sorghum has been shown in in vitro and in vivo studies to improve various biomarkers related to overweight, obesity, and inflammation, particularly when sprouted and irradiated with UV light. In the present study, irradiated sorghum sprouts were used to prepare granola bars; their phenolic profile, antioxidant activity, in vitro bioaccessibility, anti-inflammatory potential, and sensory acceptability were measured. Gallic acid increased in response to irradiation, while catechin increased in response to sprouting. In vitro digestion showed higher intestinal recovery of phenolics and antioxidant capacity, as well as a significant decrease in nitric oxide content, an inflammation biomarker. A sensory analysis showed scores of approximately 5.5–6.5 (on a 9-point hedonic scale) for most variables analyzed, suggesting adequate acceptability. Sorghum bars made with irradiated sorghum sprouts present high potential as health foods that could help counteract the problems of overweight, obesity, and related diseases. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to demonstrate the benefits of consuming this food.