According to epidemiologic studies, dietary phenolic antioxidants, such as chlorogenic acid (CQA), could prevent coronary heart diseases and some cancers. Coffee is the main source of CQA in the human diet. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of usual coffee consumption conditions, such as the addition of milk, on CQA bioavailability. Interactions between CQA and milk proteins were shown, using an ultrafiltration technique. These interactions proved to be slightly disrupted during an in vitro digestion process. CQA absorption and bioavailability were then studied in vitro using a Caco-2 cell model coupled with an in vitro digestion process, and in vivo, in a chronic supplementation study in which rats were fed daily coffee or coffee and milk for 3 weeks. Both experiments showed that CQA absorption under its native form is weak, but unmodified by the addition of milk proteins, and slightly reduced by the addition of Maillard reaction products. These data show that there are some interactions between coffee phenolics and milk proteins, but these have no significant effect on CQA bioavailability from coffee in the rat. CQA is poorly absorbed under its native form in the body, when ingested in a realistic food matrix.

The postprandial fixation of dietary nitrogen in splanchnic and peripheral tissues as well as its dynamic transfer to the nitrogen pools of the body were quantified in rats subjected to an acute augmentation of dietary protein. For this purpose, we traced the dietary protein and studied the immediate fate of exogenous nitrogen in many tissues and biological fluids. Rats were adapted to a diet providing an adequate protein level (14 g/100 g), and then fed a meal containing either 0.42 g (Group A) or 1.50 g (Group H) of [(15)N]-labeled milk protein. The amounts of exogenous nitrogen transferred to urea (0.32 +/- 0.04 vs. 2.46 +/- 0.25 mmol, respectively), incorporated in splanchnic (0.41 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.87 +/- 0.10 mmol) and peripheral (1.65 +/- 0.84 vs. 2.36 +/- 0.49 mmol) tissue protein were higher in group H than in group A. Individual plasma amino acids (AA) [(15)N]-enrichments showed that AA respond differentially to an acute augmentation of dietary intake. This work provides new descriptive and quantitative information on the metabolic fate of dietary nitrogen in the postprandial state. It highlights the higher integration of a surplus of dietary nitrogen in the tissues even if it is rapidly limited by saturation of the protein synthesis capacities. The main metabolic response remains the stimulation of AA degradation, leading to a large rise in urea production. However, both anabolic and catabolic systems are exceeded, resulting in an elevation of peripheral AA and negative feedback on the gastric emptying rate.

The purpose of this work was to determine exogenous and endogenous contributions to the overall nitrogen flux in the upper jejunum in humans. After the ingestion of water or 8 g of [15N]casein, the behavior of gastro-jejunal nitrogen and electrolyte (Na+, K+, Cl-) movements were studied in seven volunteers using the "slow marker" perfusion technique. The jejunal flow-rate of the chyme peaked during 0-20 min and 20-40 min periods following water and casein ingestion, respectively. Osmolarity, Cl- and Na+ concentrations decreased significantly (P < 0.05) during the first 20 min following meal ingestion and returned to the basal levels in the 20-60 min period. The gastric half-emptying times (min) of the liquid phase differed significantly (P < 0.05) for water (7.9 +/- 0.4) and casein (21.4 +/- 9.1). The basal flow rate of endogenous nitrogen was 9 +/- 3.3 mmol/h in the jejunum. After casein ingestion, the total nitrogen content reached maximum values in the 20-40 min period and then progressively returned to the initial level. The gastro-jejunal casein absorption was 58% and the remaining amount of casein in the jejunum was degraded more than 80% to alcohol-soluble compounds. After the ingestion of a low amount of casein no significant increase in the endogenous nitrogen fraction was observed. The 15N-dilution technique is an appropriate method in humans for the direct measurement of endogenous and exogenous contributions to the intestinal nitrogen fraction.

In order to determine how soya-bean proteins are digested and metabolized in the human intestine before colonic bacterial fermentation and to estimate their true digestibility, the gastro-jejunal behaviour of soya-bean proteins in water and in two other forms (a concentrated soya-bean-protein solution (isolate) and a drink composed of crude soya-bean proteins (soymilk)) was studied in humans. Experiments were carried out in eight healthy volunteers using a double-lumen steady-state intestinal perfusion method with polyethyleneglycol (PEG) as a non-absorbable volume marker. Gastric emptying and N and electrolyte contents of the jejunal digesta were analysed. Gastric half-emptying time (min) of the liquid phase after