Bottarga di muggine come fonte di acidi grassi n-3: stabilità ossidativa e modulazione del profilo lipidico in cellule epiteliali intestinali Caco-2

The importance of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) intake has long been recognized in human nutrition, lowering the incidence of atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, inflammatory disease and cancer. Although health benefits, n-3 PUFA are subject to rapid and/or extensive oxidation during processing and storage, resulting in potential alteration in nutritional composition and quality of food. Bottarga, the salted and semidried mullet (Mugil cephalus) ovary product, is proposed as important source of n-3 PUFA, having high levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In this work we investigated the extent of lipid oxidation of grated bottarga samples during 7 months at different storage conditions (-20°C, 2°C, room temperature under light/dark exposure). Cell viability, lipid composition and lipid peroxidation were measured in intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cell monolayers after 6-48 h incubation with lipid and hydrophilic extracts obtained from bottarga samples at different storage conditions. Storage of bottarga did not affect the n-3 PUFA level, but significant differences were observed in hydroperoxide and malondialdeyde levels of samples from different storage conditions. Bottarga extracts did not show a toxic effect on cell viability. Epithelial cells incubated with bottarga oil had significant changes in fatty acid composition with an accumulation of EPA, DHA, and 22: 5, however, did not accumulate more cholesterol than control cells.