In vitro digestion of o/w emulsions using a static model of the gastrointestinal tract

Abstract

Digestion is a complex biological process that involves interdependent steps by which food is reduced to simpler compounds that can be absorbed and used by the body. By understanding this process, it is possible to design foods with improved nutritional and healthy properties, which is known as functional foods. High Oleic Palm Oil (HOPO) is a vegetable oil extracted from OxG hybrid species, which presents a wide range of bioactive compounds that have shown to have a beneficial effect on health, which makes it an interesting potential functional food. Emulsionbased systems for HOPO encapsulation have been studied as a strategy for delivery; however, the behavior of these systems under gastrointestinal conditions has not been investigated. This project was aimed to study the behavior of High Oleic Palm Oil emulsions during simulated in vitro digestion. For this purpose, the harmonized INFOGEST method was implemented and all the required enzymatic assays and preliminary tests were performed. Once the model was placed in line, in vitro digestion experiments were carried out on two formulations of HOPO emulsions with different sizes and stability. Specific activity of 4090 U/mg, 49.40 U/mg and 6.456 U/mg of pepsin, pancreatic lipase, and trypsin, respectively, were obtained. Bile salts showed a molecular weight of 1.09 mmol/g. In vitro digestion of skim milk powder was performed in order to validate the model. Protein hydrolysis during digestion was in agreement with literature.