Bioactive Fiber and Polyphenols: Composition and Association with Fecal Lipid Profiles in Mango Bagasse and Peel Confectionery

Dietary fiber and phenolic compounds are key bioactives in gastrointestinal and metabolic health; however, their compositional features and metabolic implications have rarely been studied as an integrated system within realistic food matrices. Mango bagasse confectionery previously demonstrated prebiotic potential, and its reformulation with extruded mango peel showed hepatoprotective effects linked to gut microbiota modulation. In this study, mango bagasse and peel confectionery (MBPC) was characterized and its metabolic impact was evaluated in vivo. Wistar rats were fed standard or high-fat diets with or without MBPC supplementation, followed by fecal fatty acid analysis. MBPC exhibited a high dietary fiber content for a confectionery product (25 g total fiber per 100 g), with monomeric profiles indicative of cell wall-derived polysaccharides and pectic components. The fiber fraction showed a low Mw (14.71 ± 0.02 kDa), suggesting a matrix favorable for fiber–phenolic interactions. Phenolic profiling revealed substantial concentrations of free (9.0 mg/mL) and bound (16.7 mg/mL) phenolic compounds. Fecal fatty acid profiles were diet-dependent, with palmitic acid showing the highest relative abundance, followed by stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids, associated with dietary fiber intake. This study elucidates the structural and metabolic relevance of dietary fiber–phenolic interactions within a formulated food matrix.