Studying Food Digestion towards Healthier Future Food Choices

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 4678

Special Issue Editor

Department of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Interests: bioaccessibility, bioavailability and safety of nutrients and food bioactives; in vitro models of the human gastro-intestine system; development of specialty and personalized foods as well as the nutritional management of the colon microbiome; advanced analyses of foods (foodomics); structure–function relationships of food ingredients; novel food ingredients; food-grade delivery systems; rational design of emulsions and food hydrocolloids

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced food processing technologies, the re-formulation of foods, and futuristic foods such as cultivated meat and plant-based food analogues, captivate human imagination and open avenues to revolutionizing our plates. Yet, the development of such food choices and precise human nutrition require a fundamental understanding of food’s digestive fate to ensure safety and optimize its delivery to different individuals. Moreover, the ever-increasing use of advanced analytical tools and artificial intelligence open new horizons for rationally designing human food choices. This Special Issue calls for studies that delve into the complex interplay between food compositions, food processing (both thermal and non-thermal) and the digestibility of foods for different consumers. Notably, we call for scientific studies seeking to tailor food's palatability and the delivery of nutrients and beneficial non-nutrients, e.g., antioxidants and prebiotics, while minimizing risks and meeting consumers’ needs for better health and wellness

Dr. Uri Lesmes
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • functional foods
  • alternative proteins
  • food bioactives
  • digestibility
  • bioaccessibility
  • bioavailability
  • colon microbiota
  • food delivery systems
  • in vitro digestion models
  • food re-formulation
  • foodomics
  • non-thermal food processing
  • satiety
  • glycemic index
  • digestive proteolysis.

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 10060 KiB  
Article
Quality Change of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Pericarps of Citrus reticulata ‘Chachi’) During Storage and Its Sex-Based In Vitro Digestive Performance
by Peirong Yu, Yuying Zeng, Chunyu Li, Bixia Qiu, Yuan Shi, Qixi He, Uri Lesmes and Yigal Achmon
Foods 2024, 13(22), 3671; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13223671 - 18 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1362
Abstract
Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP), particularly including the pericarp of Citrus reticulata ‘Chachi’ (GCP), has been widely used as a food, a dietary supplement, and traditional Chinese medicine. Despite the widespread use of traditional foods, there is limited evidence regarding the precise relationships between [...] Read more.
Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP), particularly including the pericarp of Citrus reticulata ‘Chachi’ (GCP), has been widely used as a food, a dietary supplement, and traditional Chinese medicine. Despite the widespread use of traditional foods, there is limited evidence regarding the precise relationships between storage conditions, aging duration, and the digestive performance of CRP. In this study, the aim was to investigate the impact of the storage conditions on the quality of aged GCP during shelf life and to evaluate the subsequent digestive performance of corresponding GCP decoctions. Respiration in GCP was monitored by measuring oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) gases throughout the storage simulation, with O2 and CO2 validated as prospective safety measures. Five flavonoids (hesperidin, didymin, nobiletin, tangeretin, and 3,5,6,7,8,3′,4′-heptamethoxyflavone) were determined as quality indicators, and their contents were significantly affected by the duration of the storage simulation and the aging periods of GCP. Our study also found that temperature and humidity significantly affected the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission from GCP. Eighteen compounds were proposed to show potential as descriptive measures of aging periods while eight compounds were proposed as potential indicators to discriminate among the spoilage level. Furthermore, the bioaccessibility of hesperidin ranged from ~30% to ~50% and was not significantly affected by the GCP’s aging time nor the consumer’s sex (p < 0.05). This study presents evidence for the future control of the quality of GCP and its digestive performance in males and females. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studying Food Digestion towards Healthier Future Food Choices)
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20 pages, 1690 KiB  
Article
Impact of Fava Bean (Vicia faba) Processing on Quality Characteristics and Digestibility of a Protein-Rich Snack
by Kateryna Khvostenko, Sara Muñoz-Pina, Jorge García-Hernández, Ana Heredia and Ana Andrés
Foods 2024, 13(15), 2372; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13152372 - 26 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2014
Abstract
The impact of fava bean processing methods (soaking, autoclaving, fermentation) on a legume-based bars’ quality, protein characteristics, and digestibility was shown. The antioxidant and the angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitory capacity before and after in vitro digestion were investigated to reveal the potential advantages of fava [...] Read more.
The impact of fava bean processing methods (soaking, autoclaving, fermentation) on a legume-based bars’ quality, protein characteristics, and digestibility was shown. The antioxidant and the angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitory capacity before and after in vitro digestion were investigated to reveal the potential advantages of fava bean usage for snacks. All bars have demonstrated high protein content, varying from 22.1 to 25.1 g/100 g DB. Based on the fermented fava beans of Pleurotus ostreatus, the samples were characterized by a higher concentration of essential amino acids by 8.6% and a reduction of tannins by 18.5% compared with bars based on soaked fava beans. Sensory evaluation improved the color, texture, and overall acceptability of the bars with fermented legumes. Various types of bean processing did not significantly affect the protein digestibility of the bars. The fermentation method positively affected the angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitory properties of bars and increased by 16.5% (before digestion) and 15% (after digestion) compared with other samples. After digestion, samples were characterized by a high level of Fe bioaccessibility (100, 83, and 79% for the bars based on soaked, autoclaved, and fermented fava beans, respectively) and increased total phenolic content. These findings highlight the potential health benefits of fava bean usage for snack products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studying Food Digestion towards Healthier Future Food Choices)
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Review

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22 pages, 2140 KiB  
Review
A Review on In Vitro Evaluation of Chemical and Physical Digestion for Controlling Gastric Digestion of Food
by Hiroyuki Kozu, Isao Kobayashi and Sosaku Ichikawa
Foods 2025, 14(8), 1435; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14081435 - 21 Apr 2025
Viewed by 688
Abstract
Food digestion in the gastrointestinal is a series of processes consisting of chemical and physical digestion. Recently, developing foods with controlled digestion in the stomach may attract more attention. Hydrogel foods are useful tools for designing foods with controlled digestion because it is [...] Read more.
Food digestion in the gastrointestinal is a series of processes consisting of chemical and physical digestion. Recently, developing foods with controlled digestion in the stomach may attract more attention. Hydrogel foods are useful tools for designing foods with controlled digestion because it is relatively easy to design their food characteristics by adjusting the type and content of the additives. This review introduces the latest status of in vitro gastric digestion as a food characterization system. The in vitro evaluation of chemical gastric digestion by gastric acid and digestive enzymes focuses on INFOGEST-standardized gastrointestinal digestion protocols for healthy adults, infants, and older adults. For the in vitro evaluation of physical gastric digestion by peristalsis, the current development of gastrointestinal tract devices that precisely or efficiently simulate the shape of the stomach and gastric peristalsis is described. In addition, we introduce studies that have utilized these devices to investigate the gastric digestion behavior of hydrocolloid foods with different mechanical characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studying Food Digestion towards Healthier Future Food Choices)
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