Effects of Instant Cascara Beverage and Purified Diets on Gastrointestinal Motility in Male and Female Rats

Instant Cascara (IC) is a sustainable beverage made from dried coffee cherry pulp, and is a novel food recently authorized by the European Union. To investigate its effects on gastrointestinal health, we evaluated the impact of regular IC consumption on gastrointestinal transit in experimental animals (ethical approval: PROEX-059/2018) using male and female Wistar rats (n=7 per group) subjected to two purified diets (AIN93M or AIN93G) and beverages (water or IC, 10 mg/mL) over 3 weeks. Radiographic methods (barium contrast) assessed transit acutely (24 hours) and chronically (3 weeks). Acute studies revealed no significant transit differences across gastrointestinal regions. In the chronic study, males on the AIN93G diet exhibited delayed gastric and cecal transit, which IC effectively countered, while it slightly accelerated gastric emptying in females. Morphometric and densitometric analyses showed no differences due to diet or beverage in any region’s size or density, although a reduction in stomach and cecum size was noted chronically, unaffected by IC. IC did not impact motility in AIN93M-fed animals, confirming it as a safe beverage, and improved transit in AIN93G-fed males, indicating its potential to prevent or alleviate conditions involving delayed intestinal transit. These findings underscore IC’s potential as a functional beverage that contributes to both gastrointestinal health and sustainability by utilizing coffee by-products, addressing key challenges in food innovation. IC exemplifies how novel, nutrient-enriched beverages can support health and sustainability goals, responding to growing demands for safe, nutritious food solutions in a world facing ecological and economic challenges, ultimately offering a pathway to sustainable innovation in food science and technology.