Instant Cascara: A Potential Sustainable Promoter of Gastrointestinal Health

Abstract

Instant Cascara (IC) is a beverage made from dried coffee cherries, enriched in nutrients and bioactive compounds such as caffeine and other phytochemicals with a positive impact on the brain–gut axis health. The use of dried coffee cherries as novel foods in drinks was authorized by the EU in 2023. The process for obtaining IC involves the concentration of the regular drink by spray-drying. Colorectal cancer, chronic gut disease, is the third most common cancer type causing 1 million deaths/year. In high-income countries, colon and rectum cancers were one of the top ten causes of death in 2019. The present research aimed to obtain novel and preliminary information about the potential prophylactic or therapeutic effect of IC on colon cancer. In vitro cell models were used to analyze its genotoxicity and effects on key physiological cell events such as intracellular ROS production, proliferation and apoptosis associated with the pathogenesis of cancer. IC was determined non-genotoxic using the comet assay, reduced ROS production in normal and cancer colon cells and selectively affected the proliferation and apoptosis of colon cancer cells by labeled annexin incorporation assay. In conclusion, our preliminary data supported the safety and potential use of IC as a sustainable promoter of gastrointestinal health. Therefore, the upcycling of dried coffee cherries into IC may contribute to the sustainability of the coffee industry and to achieving Global Sustainable Development Goals (3: “Good health and well-being” and 12: “Responsible consumption and production”).

Keywords

• antioxidant
• cell proliferation
• coffee fruit cascara
• colon cancer
• genotoxicity
• instant beverage