The key role of ovalbumin in lipid bioaccessibility and oxidation product profile during the in vitro digestion of slightly oxidized soybean oil

The behaviour of slightly oxidized virgin and refined soybean oils during in vitro digestion was studied by H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR) and solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The main objectives were to analyze lipolysis extent and oxidation during digestion, and to assess the impact of two different proportions of ovalbumin on both processes. At the same time gamma-tocopherol fate was monitored, when possible, by H-1 NMR. The results reveal that the initial oxidation degree of the oils negatively influences the lipolysis extent, reducing the bioaccessibility of the major oil components, which include some essential fatty acids. Although the low ovalbumin proportion tested does not significantly affect lipolysis, this is greatly enhanced when ovalbumin is added at a high level, improving lipid bioaccessibility. It has also been shown that oxidation does not seem to have occurred to a great enough extent during digestion for it to be detected from polyunsaturated acyl group degradation. Moreover, the changes observed in the oxidation product profile of the starting oils after digestion can be considered to be due mainly to the transformation of the initially present hydroperoxides, whose concentration diminishes in the digested samples to give hydroxy-dienes, epoxides and aldehydes. In presence of a high ovalbumin proportion, hydroperoxide reduction to hydroxy-dienes is favoured and lower levels of aldehydes and epoxides are observed. This latter could be due to a diminution in their generation and/or to their reaction with ovalbumin. A high proportion of this protein in the system also increases gamma-tocopherol bioaccessibility.