Behavior of almond oil bodies during in vitro gastric and intestinal digestion

Food Funct. 2012 May;3(5):547-55. doi: 10.1039/c2fo10259e. Epub 2012 Feb 22.

Abstract

An aqueous suspension of almond oil bodies (about 10% lipids) was prepared and subjected to in vitro gastric (with pepsin) and intestinal (with bile salts and pancreatin) digestion, simulating fasting conditions. The physicochemical and structural changes of the almond oil body emulsion were examined. The almond oil body emulsion behaved similarly to a protein-stabilized emulsion, with flocculation of the oil bodies occurring under gastric conditions. Proteins, peptides, and phospholipids covered the surface of the oil bodies throughout gastric digestion. Under intestinal conditions, bile salts displaced the interfacial peptides and phospholipids, and disrupted the flocs. Gastric pepsinolysis of almond proteins was a prerequisite for their digestion in the duodenum. The oil body membrane had a negative impact on the efficiency of gastric digestion, and long chain fatty acids, the main lipolytic products, accumulated at the surface of the oil bodies and therefore limited the activity of pancreatic lipase.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bile Acids and Salts / chemistry
  • Chemical Phenomena
  • Digestion*
  • Emulsions
  • Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / chemistry
  • Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / metabolism
  • Food Technology*
  • Gastric Juice / enzymology
  • Gastric Juice / metabolism*
  • Kinetics
  • Lipolysis
  • Pancreatic Juice / chemistry
  • Pancreatic Juice / enzymology
  • Pancreatic Juice / metabolism*
  • Particle Size
  • Phospholipids / chemistry
  • Phospholipids / metabolism
  • Plant Oils / chemistry
  • Plant Oils / metabolism*
  • Plant Preparations / chemistry
  • Plant Preparations / metabolism*
  • Plant Proteins / chemistry
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism
  • Proteolysis
  • Prunus / chemistry
  • Seeds / chemistry
  • Surface Properties
  • Suspensions

Substances

  • Bile Acids and Salts
  • Emulsions
  • Fatty Acids, Nonesterified
  • Phospholipids
  • Plant Oils
  • Plant Preparations
  • Plant Proteins
  • Suspensions
  • almond oil