Simulated gastro-intestinal digestion is widely employed in many fields of food and nutritional sciences, as conducting human trials are often costly, resource intensive, and ethically disputable. As a consequence, in vitro alternatives that determine endpoints such as the bioaccessibility of nutrients and non-nutrients or the digestibility of macronutrients (e.g. lipids, proteins and carbohydrates) are used for screening and building new hypotheses. Various digestion models have been proposed, often impeding the possibility to compare results across research teams. For example, a large variety of enzymes from different sources such as of porcine, rabbit or human origin have been used, differing in their activity and characterization. Differences in pH, mineral type, ionic strength and digestion time, which alter enzyme activity and other phenomena, may also considerably alter results. Other parameters such as the presence of phospholipids, individual enzymes such as gastric lipase and digestive emulsifiers vs. their mixtures (e.g. pancreatin and bile salts), and the ratio of food bolus to digestive fluids, have also been discussed at length. In the present consensus paper, within the COST Infogest network, we propose a general standardised and practical static digestion method based on physiologically relevant conditions that can be applied for various endpoints, which may be amended to accommodate further specific requirements. A frameset of parameters including the oral, gastric and small intestinal digestion are outlined and their relevance discussed in relation to available in vivo data and enzymes. This consensus paper will give a detailed protocol and a line-by-line, guidance, recommendations and justifications but also limitation of the proposed model. This harmonised static, in vitro digestion method for food should aid the production of more comparable data in the future.

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01209876/document

A standardised static in vitro digestion method suitable for food – an international consensus

Food proteins: a review on their emulsifying properties using a structure-function approach.

Proteins are widely utilized to add functional properties, such as gelling and emulsification to foods. These attributes depend on a number of factors such as molecular structure of the protein, the pH, and the composition of its chemical environment. There is substantial evidence to suggest that the functional properties of food proteins can be further improved by derivatization. Covalent bonding of proteins to polysaccharides and smaller reducing sugars via the Maillard reaction has been shown to alter the functionality of proteins without requiring the addition of chemical reagents. Establishment of a technologically feasible method for preparing the conjugates and optimization of the processing conditions, however, is needed to promote their development as functional food ingredients. This paper provides a state-of-the-art contribution to the impact of the Maillard reaction on protein functionality. It presents a deeper understanding of the influence of processing conditions and reactant formulation on improving desirable properties of proteins. In particular attention is given to how potential improvements could be achieved in the emulsifying, textural, and solubility properties of proteins to add value to commodity food ingredients. Elements that are considered to be critical to the design of functional Maillard conjugates are highlighted and suggestions proposed to facilitate progress in this area.

Creating Proteins with Novel Functionality via the Maillard Reaction: A Review

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1214&context=foodsciefacpub

Food processing and allergenicity

Flocculation of protein-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions.

http://depa.fquim.unam.mx/amyd/archivero/24Leche_14240.pdf

Effect of heat treatment on milk protein functionality at emulsion interfaces. A review.

Egg-white proteins are extensively utilised as food ingredients due to their unique functional properties. Several attempts have been made in order to improve the functional properties of egg-white proteins and to identify the optimal formulations for unique food products. Experimental data proves that controlled denaturation of egg-white proteins can have a beneficial impact on various functional applications in the food industry such as emulsifying ability, heat stability, and gelation. This review describes the effect of heat-induced denaturation on protein structure and functionality. Studies on the impact of Maillard reaction, which aim to elucidate the structure-function relationship of egg-white proteins, are presented. A novel approach which could be the basis for the development of new methods aiming to improve the functional properties of egg-white proteins is also discussed.

Vassilios Raikos

Papers

Effect of heat treatment on milk protein functionality at emulsion interfaces. A review.

Modification of functional properties of egg‐white proteins

Effects of sucrose and sodium chloride on foaming properties of egg white proteins

Rheology and texture of hen's egg protein heat-set gels as affected by pH and the addition of sugar and/or salt

Separation and identification of hen egg protein isoforms using SDS–PAGE and 2D gel electrophoresis with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry