Lipo‐Protein Emulsion Structure in the Diet Affects Protein Digestion Kinetics, Intestinal Mucosa Parameters and Microbiota Composition

• Published in: Molecular nutrition & food research Vol. 62; no. 2
• Main Authors: Oberli, Marion, Douard, Véronique, Beaumont, Martin, Jaoui, Daphné, Devime, Fabienne, Laurent, Sandy, Chaumontet, Catherine, Mat, Damien, Feunteun, Steven, Michon, Camille, Davila, Anne‐Marie, Fromentin, Gilles, Tomé, Daniel, Souchon, Isabelle, Leclerc, Marion, Gaudichon, Claire, Blachier, François
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2018; Wiley-VCH Verlag
• Subjects: Absorption; Absorptivity; Abundance; Amino Acid Transport Systems, Neutral - genetics; Amino Acid Transport Systems, Neutral - metabolism; Amino acids; Amino Acids - pharmacokinetics; Animals; Blood; Body Weight - drug effects; Cecum; Clostridium; Diet; dietary protein; Dietary Proteins - pharmacokinetics; Digestion; Digestive system; Emulsions; Emulsions - chemistry; Emulsions - pharmacology; Fermentation; Food and Nutrition; Food composition; food structure; Gastric emptying; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - drug effects; Gastrointestinal tract; gut microbiota; gut peptides; Ileum; Intestinal Mucosa - drug effects; Intestinal Mucosa - physiology; Intestine; Intestine, Small - drug effects; Intestine, Small - metabolism; Kinetics; Life Sciences; Lipoproteins - chemistry; Lipoproteins - pharmacology; Male; Microbiota; Mucosa; Nitrogen Isotopes - analysis; Nitrogen Isotopes - pharmacokinetics; Protein structure; Proteins; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Relative abundance; Rodents; stomach emptying; Urea; dietary protein; gut peptides; stomach emptying; gut microbiota; food structure; digestion
• DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.201700570
• ISSN: 1613-4125; 1613-4133

Scope Food structure is a key factor controlling digestion and nutrient absorption. We test the hypothesis that protein emulsion structure in the diet may affect digestive and absorptive processes. Methods & Results Rats (n = 40) are fed for 3 weeks with two diets chemically identical but based on lipid–protein liquid‐fine (LFE) or gelled‐coarse (GCE) emulsions that differ at the macro‐ and microstructure levels. After an overnight fasting, they ingest a 15N‐labeled LFE or GCE test meal and are euthanized 0, 15 min, 1 h, and 5 h later. 15N enrichment in intestinal contents and blood are measured. Gastric emptying, protein digestion kinetics, 15N absorption, and incorporation in blood protein and urea are faster with LFE than GCE. At 15 min time point, LFE group shows higher increase in GIP portal levels than GCE. Three weeks of dietary adaptation leads to higher expression of cationic amino acid transporters in ileum of LFE compared to GCE. LFE diet raises cecal butyrate and isovalerate proportion relative to GCE, suggesting increased protein fermentation. LFE diet increases fecal Parabacteroides relative abundance but decreases Bifidobacterium, Sutterella, Parasutterella genera, and Clostridium cluster XIV abundance. Conclusion Protein emulsion structure regulates digestion kinetics and gastrointestinal physiology, and could be targeted to improve food health value. Food processing alters food structure, raising the question how that affects its digestion. To investigate this, we created two chemically identical diets which differed in macro‐ and microstructure of protein–lipid emulsion. It was found that these structural differences in lipoprotein matrix incorporated in the diet had major effects on dietary protein digestion kinetics, nitrogenous compound absorption, and incorporation in blood proteins. This was associated with changes in endocrine response of the proximal intestine and modification and activity of the gut microbiota.