Plant Food Structure and Lipid Digestibility

Exploring the Impact of Solid-State Fermentation on Macronutrient Profile and Digestibility in Chia (Salvia hispanica) and Sesame (Sesamum Indicum) Seeds

“…This detected structural change is highly relevant for explaining other results of the study because, as introduced above, the physical properties of the seeds are a major liming factor for the subsequent nutrient release and bioaccessibility. It has been repeatedly reported that reduction in the particle size of food substrates promotes nutrient digestibility [6,7,17]. In fact, previous studies, in which plant-based substrates were also fermented, dried and milled to produce flours, reported similar reductions in particle size compared to the non-fermented controls [5].…”

“…Similarly, viscosity in the digestion medium has been related to a decline of other nutrient hydrolysis apart from lipids [39]. Some food components have the ability to increase the viscosity of digestion media, especially water-soluble polysaccharides in the cell walls that can be released during digestion [7]. Another mechanism of polysaccharides or soluble fibers to inhibit macronutrient digestion is their disposal at the interface between the nutrient globule and the digestion medium, preventing the accessibility of enzymes [39].…”

“…However, especially in plant-based foods, lipid release and digestibility rely on food matrix breakdown and the cell wall damage by the enzymatic and peristaltic forces, so that lipids can be released and digested [17,45]. This inherent resistance against digestion is also known as "the cell wall barrier" [7]. Indeed, for this reason, several plant-origin foods such as legumes or cereals undertake processing before ingestion, including different strategies that alter the physical structure and facilitate further bioaccessibility of nutrients.…”

“…However, this vegetal group could largely benefit from this biotechnological process. While seeds present with an excellent nutrient profile, which includes high fiber, bioactive compounds, protein and healthy fat, the physical structure of the shell is hardly disrupted during the digestion process, thus impairing the release of these nutrients and hindering their further bioabsorption [6,7]. So, the shell structure should be disrupted with the aim of making seeds' nutrients more bioaccessible.…”

A comparative study of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of three strategic edible oils

“…In addition, bile secretion can be very different in fasted or feeding animals and this have an enormous influence in how digestion occurs. All these factors make in vivo models poorly reproducible (Grundy & Wilde, 2021). In this sense, our in vitro digestion model uses conditions close to those described by other authors for the in vivo physiological conditions.…”