Emulsion stability during simulated gastrointestinal digestion: strategies to control lipolysis

Summary

Lipids have high energy content, and are highly relevant to human health. Lipid digestion depends on physiological conditions and the stability of food products under digestive conditions. To achieve mechanistic understanding of this process, this thesis systematically investigates lipolysis of lipid droplets under standardized in vitro conditions, focusing on droplet stability during digestion and transit of food. We found that merging of lipid droplets during digestion significantly decreases the rate and extent of lipolysis. While dietary fiber makes droplets more stable, only when incorporated in a gel beads merging is prevented. The size and density of gel beads can be used to control intestinal lipolysis, by influencing their gastric emptying profile, thus leading to controlled lipid digestion. This thesis successfully connected in vitro experiments and in silico modelling. A next step would need to focus on bridging the gap between in vitro and in vivo results.