NOVEL PREBIOTIC NANOPARTICLES TO ENHANCE TART CHERRY ANTHOCYANIN BIOAVAILABILITY AND IMPROVE GUT HEALTH IN OBESITY

The goal of this application is to develop novel nanoparticles with prebiotic compounds to enhance the bioavailability of anthocyanins in tart cherry (TC)juice while improving gut health in an obese mouse model, in order to reduce high-fat diet (HFD)-related metabolic challenges such as obesity.To achieve these goals, we proposethe following supporting objectives: (1) Optimize nano-encapsulated TC anthocyanin (TC-nano) formulations with prebiotics. Anthocyaninstability under different conditions (temperature, pH, etc.) will be evaluatedto optimize anthocyanin protection in TC juice during storage. (2) Evaluate the effects of optimized TC-nano on bioavailability and gut microbiota in an HFD-induced obese C57BL/6 mouse model. The long-term goal of the proposed study is to increase the nutritional value of anthocyanins-rich TC juice, enhance anthocyanins stability and bioavailability, to positively modulate gut microbiota composition through innovative prebiotic nanoparticles.