Oleogelation of extra virgin olive oil by different gelators affects lipid digestion and polyphenol bioaccessibility

Francesco Ciuffarin; Marilisa Alongi; Stella Plazzotta; Paolo Lucci; Francesco Paolo Schena; Lara Manzocco; Sonia Calligaris

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113239

Oleogelation of extra virgin olive oil by different gelators affects lipid digestion and polyphenol bioaccessibility

Food Res Int. 2023 Nov;173(Pt 1):113239. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113239. Epub 2023 Jul 6.

Authors

Francesco Ciuffarin¹, Marilisa Alongi², Stella Plazzotta¹, Paolo Lucci³, Francesco Paolo Schena⁴, Lara Manzocco¹, Sonia Calligaris¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy.
² Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy. Electronic address: marilisa.alongi@uniud.it.
³ Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy.
⁴ Schena Foundation, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, Italy; Department of Emergency and Organ Transplants, University of Bari, Polyclinic, 70124 Bari, Italy.

PMID: 37803552
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113239

Abstract

The possibility to steer extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) digestion and polyphenol bioaccessibility through oleogelation was investigated. EVOO was converted into oleogels using lipophilic (monoglycerides, rice wax, sunflower wax, phytosterols) or hydrophilic (whey protein aerogel particles, WP) gelators. In-vitro digestion demonstrated that the oleogelator nature influenced both lipid digestion and polyphenol bioaccessibility. WP-based oleogels presented ∼100% free fatty acid release compared to ∼64% for unstructured EVOO and ∼40 to ∼55% for lipophilic-based oleogels. This behavior was attributed to the ability of WP to promote micelle formation through oleogel destructuring. Contrarily, the lower lipolysis of EVOO gelled with lipophilic gelators compared to unstructured EVOO suggested that the gelator obstructed lipase accessibility. Tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol bioaccessibility increased for WP oleogels (∼27%), while liposoluble-based oleogels reduced it by 7 to 13%. These findings highlight the deep effect of the gelator choice on the digestion fate of EVOO components in the human body.

Keywords: Extra virgin olive oil; Lipolysis; Oleogel; Polyphenol bioaccessibility; Structure.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Digestion
Humans
Olive Oil / metabolism
Organic Chemicals*
Polyphenols*

Substances

Polyphenols
Olive Oil
oleogels
Organic Chemicals