Phytochemical Screening and Bioactivity of Vigna radiata (Mung Bean) During In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion

ABSTRACT The mung bean ( Vigna radiata L.) is considered to be one of the most frequently used legumes that are rich in phytochemicals, including phenolics with beneficial effects for human health. There is little information on the effect of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion (GID) on the phytochemical content and their biological activities. Differences in phytochemical content were observed across digestion stages (mouth, stomach, intestine, basolateral, and colon). GC–MS analysis further revealed structural modifications of phytochemicals during digestion. Phenolic fractions of V. radiata showed higher total phenolic content (25.39 ± 1.71 mg GAE/g) and total flavonoid content (14.68 ± 1.09 mg QRE/g) in the bound fraction than in the free one. Comparatively higher TPC, TFC, and TCC values were obtained for the mouth phase than for other digestion phases, suggesting rapid release of soluble compounds at the initial stage of digestion. Changes in in vitro antioxidant activity, protein stabilization, and α‐amylase inhibition were observed across various digestion phases, indicating a strong dependence of bioactivity on phytochemical transformations. The values of bioaccessibility ranged from 26.93% ± 1.07% to 93.41% ± 1.24%, illustrating variation in compound availability across phases. In general, the results demonstrate the effect of GID on the composition, bioavailability, and physiological properties of V. radiata compounds in an in vitro system.