Impact of food processing methods on nutraceutical and anti-nutritional properties of different forms of beetroot: A synergistic approach towards iron deficiency anemia

Iron deficiency anemia is a widespread public health issue affecting millions of people. To prevent this condition, the formulation of food with a synergistic approach has a crucial role in micronutrient absorption as it maximizes nutrient bioavailability. In this study, the effect of different food processing methods on different forms of beetroot was evaluated and optimized based on iron absorption. Iron, folate, beta-carotene, ascorbic acid, and saponin were predominantly retained in juice with residue form. Pressure-cooking facilitated the retention of citric acid (95%), especially in the juice with residue and residue forms, while open pan-cooking caused greater degradation of citric acid. Citric and ascorbic acids exhibit strong synergistic activity towards iron absorption hence retention of these acids would enhance iron bioavailability. The antinutrient oxalate decreased after processing, whereas the tannin level increased, except in pressure-cooked juice and juice with residue. Pressure-cooked juice with residue form was found to be best for retaining iron content by around 92% and decreasing antinutrients by around 26-43%. A notable improvement was observed in other nutrients around 52% with retaining nutraceutical properties. Despite reductions in certain compounds such as nitrates, betanin, and vulgaxanthin, the overall nutritional improvements make pressure-cooked juice with residue a highly favorable option for maximizing bioavailability and promoting health benefits, especially in iron deficiency anemia. In most of the clinical trials, beetroot is supplemented in raw juice form to reduce anemia. This study observed that pressure cooked juice with residue is far better than the raw juice form for supplementation.