Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study assessed the effects of dietary carnosine during the in vitro digestion of a healthy meal model based on the Mediterranean diet, comprising lean pork enriched with two levels of carnosine, whole grain bread, tomato, onion, and olive oil. RESULTS: Lipid and protein oxidation markers were measured in gastric and duodenal digests, and the total antioxidant capacity was measured in hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts of digests from both phases. Carnosine enrichment of meat increased its bio-accessibility, simultaneously increasing the total antioxidant capacity and globally reducing oxidation during the digestion of the meal. An increase in malondialdehyde content in gastric digests with an intermediate level of carnosine suggests that, in the absence of significant changes in the ferric-reducing antioxidant capacity, mechanisms other than the ferric-reducing capacity of carnosine may account for this pro-oxidant outcome. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study confirmed the beneficial properties of carnosine, as a meat constituent, in a healthy meal. © 2026 His Majesty the King in Right of Canada and The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.