Dynamic modeling of in vitro lipid digestion: Individual fatty acid release and bioaccessibility kinetics

The aim of this study was to gain knowledge about the role of triacylglycerol (TAG) composition in fatty acids (FA) of o/w emulsions on both the pancreatic lipolysis kinetics and the bioaccessibility of released products (i.e. contained within the bile salt micellar phase). A mathematical model was developed and its predictions were compared to a set of experimental data obtained during an in vitro digestion of a whey protein stabilized emulsion. Modeling results show that FA residues of TAG were hydrolyzed at specific rates, inducing different bioaccessibility kinetics. The estimated lipolysis rate constants of the studied FA (C8:0, C10:0 >> C18:1 n-9 >> C12:0 > C14:0 > C16:0 approximate to C16:1 n-7 > C22:6 n-3) were in close agreement with the available literature on the substrate specificity of pancreatic lipase. Results also suggest that lipolysis products are very rapidly solubilized in the bile salt mixed micelles with no fractionation according to the FA carbon chain.