## 4 Discussion
The main mechanism describing the effect of carotenoids on oxidative markers is through inhibition of lipid and singlet oxygen peroxidation [22]. It seems that biocarotenoids, which were used for miso-type sauce enhancement, are likely bioavailable, exerting a synergistic effect on the overall antioxidant effect. Based on these data, this pilot nutritional intervention should further highlight the effectiveness of fruit byproducts valorization as a sustainable strategy for the enhancement of functional foods with valuable bioc carotenoids to address public health concerns of oxidative stress, as well as indicators of lipidemic and glycaemic dysmetabolism [23]. Moreover, the results suggest a beneficial impact of the daily consumption of the novel, miso-type sauce, enhanced with biocarotenoids from fruit byproducts, on the lipidemic profile of the participants. Specifically, the experimental miso-type sauce induced a reduction in triglyceride levels, compared with the opposite effect obtained after habitual consumption of the control sauce. This finding is in line with the results obtained by the previous, acute clinical study, which explored the outcome throughout a postprandial period of 3 h. Additionally,both sauces increased the concentrations of LDL cholesterol at the endpoint, but following the miso group, these values were slightly lower than following the control group. Partly consistent with the previous data derived from the clinical intervention on postprandial metabolic effects, it seems that the consumption of 20 g biofunctional miso-type sauce/day, followed-up over 1 month, confirms the possible hypolipidemic effect, which was found at the acute level, which was mainly identified in triglycerides outcome [8]. Similar biological impacts have been mentioned in clinical research, investigating the influence of such fermented foods on cholesterolaemia biomarkers. [PERSON] et al. have evaluated that Jang intake (a Korean fermented soybean paste) in a dose-response \(\geq\)1.9 g/day is inversely associated with parameters of Metabolic Syndrome, including hypo- HDL cholesterolemia, after adjusting for covariates, including sodium intake [24]. In a 12-week human intervention, the habitual intake of gochujang, an _Aspergillus oryzae-_ fermented red pepper paste, has been demonstrated to effectively reduce LDL and total cholesterol levels in hypercholesterolemia participants [25]. The role of isoflav in lipid metabolism has also been studied. The scientific community supports that genistein may affect thermogenesis and lipid accumulation, leading to reduced production of LDL lipids, triglycerides, and free fatty acids [20]. Bioactive peptides isolated from chickpeas, as a raw material in the test sauces, have been stated to significantly reduce serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, in the context of a high-fat diet [26; 27]. In addition to isoflav, the increased content of proteins and peptides in the biofunctional, miso-type sauce may synergistically exert higher bioactivity, contributing to the demonstrated lipid-lowering effect [28]. Notably, recent reports indicate that Monacolin K, a secondary metabolite produced by _Aspergillus_ species, may attenuate cholesterol biosynthesis by inhibiting the activity of the enzyme 3-hydroxy-2-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase). This mechanism may contribute to the improvement of the lipid profile [29]. Previous data indicate that the biofunctional miso-type sauce may attenuate the postprandial rise of LDL cholesterol, 3 h after intake, rather than the control sauce [4], reflecting the possible bioavailability of certain antioxidant compounds (e.g., carotenoids, polyphenols, and bioactive peptides) presented in the miso-type sauce [4]. However, in the present nutritional intervention, both legume-based sauces raised the total and LDL cholesterol levels within the monthly interval.