Postharvest integration of prickly pear betalain-enriched gummies with different sugar substitutes for decoding diabetes type-II and skin resilience - in vitro and in silico study.

Postharvest processing plays a crucial role in harnessing the benefits of prickly pear fruit by utilizing betalain as natural colorants to replace artificial colors in model food systems. Prickly pear betalain-enriched gummies were developed using various sugar substitutes, including table sugar, xylitol, stevia, and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). These gummies were analyzed for in vitro enzymatic inhibition, anti-inflammatory effects and molecular docking studies for decoding diabetes type-II and skin resilience. FTIR and HPLC confirmed the presence of betalain and isorhamnetin across all gummies. FOS and stevia incorporated gummies exhibited the highest polyphenolics and antioxidant activity. Betalain extract combined with stevia and FOS showed significant in vitro enzyme inhibition compared to other studied gummies. Specifically, FOS gummies showed the highest inhibition rates for α-amylase (23.58 %), α-glucosidase (24.12 %), tyrosinase (54.68 %), and collagenase (2.38 %). Additionally, all samples were non-toxic to RAW cell lines and exhibited anti-inflammatory effects. Molecular docking studies corroborated the in vitro results, and pharmacokinetics profiling confirmed the gummies' suitability for oral consumption and skin safety. The developed prickly pear betalain-enriched gummies, particularly those formulated with fructo-oligosaccharides and stevia, demonstrate significant potential as functional supplements for managing diabetes type-II and skin-related conditions.