Intestinal fermentability of the artichoke: methods for evaluating and minimizing digestive discomfort

Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) is an emblematic vegetable produced in western France. Many people are sensitive to digestive discomfort after consumption of artichoke, due to its high inulin content. In the present paper are summarized the work carried out at the sensory and nutritional laboratory of Vegenov which developed a four step method to identify a strategy to limit this disturbance: (i) the compound was identified with bibliographic method to determine inulin by HPLC-PAD was set; (ii) the different factors having an influence on the artichoke inulin have been considered; (iii) in vitro fermentation was realised in order to measure the production of gases and volatile short chains fatty acids; and (iv) in vivo study was performed in order to better understand the effectiveness of these alternatives on digestive discomfort perception. Biochemical analyses showed a high variation of total inulin content with a drop that can go up to 49% in the case of a particular cooking treatment. This content reached a level that is lower than the daily dose causing discomfort according to some authors. Thus, thanks to a better understanding of inulin content changes, it was possible to identify solutions to limit the artichoke inulin content and therefore, digestive discomfort. Fermentation of artichoke prepared according to our strategy, produced less gas than fermentation of control. We developed methods for assessing intestinal discomfort by measuring the gas production (breath hydrogen monitor) and registering the perceptions of the panel during the study (health questionnaire). The volume of hydrogen excreted in breath in response to our “friendly” option artichoke was lower than the control. Moreover, it significantly reduced gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, flatulence, abdominal pain and stool emission. At the end of this study, we can suggest recommendations to reduce digestive discomfort in people prone to these problems.