Oral impairments decrease the nutrient bioaccessibility of bread in the elderly

Effect of salivary fluid characteristics on the physical features of in vitro bread bolus: From the absence of saliva to artificially simulated hypersalivation

“…In addition to the widely acknowledged attribute of plasticity and rheological behaviour that enhances swallowing through saliva impregnation (Le Bleis et al, 2013), there has been extensive research into the role of salivary alpha-amylase in the biochemical aspects of oral digestion. Despite the well-established and pivotal role of salivary α-amylase in the oral digestion of starchy foods such as like bread, pasta, and rice, which is crucial to the bolus formation (Freitas et al, 2022;Hoebler et al, 1998;Joubert et al, 2017;Mennah-Govela & Bornhorst, 2016;Ribes, Genot, Aubry, et al, 2023;Zhang et al, 2022), there has been limited research on how it affects the physical properties; any existing studies primarily focused on its rheological or tribological aspects (Laguna et al, 2021). In fact, our study contributes to a deeper understanding of the effect of salivary α-amylase on bread fragmentation by producing a higher proportion of smaller particles with over-disrupted boluses formed in the presence of active enzyme.…”

From static to semi-dynamic in vitro digestion conditions relevant for the older population: starch and protein digestion of cooked lentils

“…While the authors reckon that changes in oral conditions with aging (loss of teeth, decreased production of saliva etc.) can significantly impact bolus formation and subsequent digestion and nutrient uptake, 4,28 this was not the major focus of the current work. Therefore, identical standardized lentil purees were used for simulating digestion under conditions relevant for older and healthy adults, as explained earlier.…”

“…Doing this, it could be evaluated to which level typical attenuated hydrolysis patterns of intact cotyledon cells (such as slow starch digestion), observed using healthy adult in vitro models, were affected by gastrointestinal conditions observed in older adults. White bread was selected as a reference food system since it is a well-studied source of both (rapidly digestible) starch and protein, [27][28][29] and it is much-consumed by the targeted population group. The comparison of lentil digestion kinetics to those of white bread could deliver insight into the (possibly different) consequences of applying altered digestion conditions for two differently structured foods.…”

Static in vitro digestion model adapted to the general older adult population: an INFOGEST international consensus

“…Bigger/compacted particles with reduced total and slowly digestible starch were evidenced as demonstrated with FTIR spectroscopy analysis. 18 The enzyme starts hydrolysing starch in the mouth but also in the stomach as long as the pH remains higher than the inactivation pH between 3 and 3.5. 44 After food ingestion, the gastric pH is close to that of the ingested food and will decrease slowly due to the gastric emptying and the acidic secretion.…”

“…For example, due to decline in muscular function, impairment in dental status and reduction in salivary flow and modification in composition, there is impairment in oral processing capability which can alter particle size reduction, adversely affecting digestion rate and extent. 17,18 However, other studies suggested an adaptation of the oral processing in older adults leading to the formation of similar boli than those made by younger adults. 19 Several studies have demonstrated that digestive conditions evolve with age.…”