Research Article Received: 20 October 2015 Revised: 1 February 2016 Accepted article published: 11 March 2016 Published online in Wiley Online Library: (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI 10.1002/jsfa.7708 Screening of the anthocyanin profile and in vitro pancreatic lipase inhibition by anthocyanin-containing extracts of fruits, vegetables, legumes and cereals Simona Fabroni, Gabriele Ballistreri, Margherita Amenta, Flora V Romeo and Paolo Rapisarda * Abstract BACKGROUND: The phytotherapic treatment of overweight and/or moderate obesity is growing widely, thus there is a great interest towards the phenolic compounds of fruits and vegetables which may inhibit pancreatic lipase enzyme. In this study, we report the chemical composition and in vitro pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of 13 freeze-dried anthocyanin-containing extracts of different Mediterranean plants: fruits (blood orange, pomegranate, blackberry, mulberry and sumac), citrus by-products (blood orange peel), citrus vegetative tissues (young lemon shoots); vegetables (red cabbage and violet cauliflower), legume seeds (black bean), cereals (black rice), and cereal processing by-products (black rice hull). Total phenols and anthocyanins were determined. Individual anthocyanins were identified by UHPLC-PDA-ESI/MS n . RESULTS: Results revealed a wide variation in the distribution of anthocyanin compounds. Blood orange and pomegranate juice extracts had the highest total anthocyanin content and exhibited the strongest inhibition of pancreatic lipase in vitro. CONCLUSION: Inhibitory activity was positively correlated with anthocyanin content. In appropriate formulations, anthocyanin-containing extracts could find a use as anti-obesity agents. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry Keywords: UHPLC-PDA-ESI/MS n ; anthocyanins; pancreatic lipase; obesity; Mediterranean plants; phytoextracts INTRODUCTION In recent years, obesity has increased at an alarming rate. It is now a major health issue worldwide. Obesity is related to both genetic and environmental factors and increases the risk of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 1 Incorrect eating habits are a major environmental factor in fat accumula- tion; chronic consumption of a high-fat diet is strongly associated with increased body weight. The market for anti-obesity drugs and nutritional supplements is increasing, accounting for 2–6% of total health care costs in many developed countries. 2 Oppor- tunities exist for the development of safe medical or natural nutraceutical treatments without severe physiological side effects. Currently available pharmacological anti-obesity treatments, not including centrally acting drugs, exploit two main mecha- nisms: the reduction of intestinal fat absorption and appetite suppression. 3 A compound that reduces intestinal absorption of dietary fat could be used for the treatment of obesity. Pancreatic lipase (triacylglycerol acylhydrolase) is a key enzyme in dietary fat absorption, being responsible for 50–70% of the hydrolysis of dietary triglycerides into monoacylglycerides and free fatty acids, which can then be absorbed by enterocytes. 4 Therefore, inhibition of this enzyme is used to reduce dietary fat absorption. Orlistat ® , a hydrogenated derivative of lipstatin (a natural product from the microorganism Streptomyces toxytricini) has been shown to act by this mechanism. 5 This drug inhibits the absorption of dietary fat by 30% and has been shown to reduce body weight in patients with obesity 2,6 even though it has undesirable physiological side effects. 7 Thus, the use of phytoextracts as pancreatic lipase inhibitors may represent an alternative approach to the develop- ment of safe and effective anti-obesity products. Many studies in recent years have tested this assumption. Polyphenol rich extracts from various plant sources reportedly inhibit pancreatic lipase in vitro: berries, 8,9 apples, 10 peanut shells, 11 grapes, 12,13 wild Mediterranean plants, 2 black, white and green teas, 14,15 legumes, 16 kiwifruit and mulberry roots. 17,18 Saponins and many polypheno- lic compounds such as catechins and tannins (both condensed and hydrolysable) are considered the most active against ∗ Correspondence to: P Rapisarda, Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA) – Centro di Ricerca per l’Agrumicoltura e le Colture Mediterranee, Corso Savoia 190, 95024 Acireale, Italy. E-mail: paolo.rapisarda@crea.gov.it Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Centro di Ricerca per l’Agrumicoltura e le Colture Mediterranee, Corso Savoia 190, 95024, Acireale, Italy J Sci Food Agric (2016) www.soci.org © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry