Academic Journal
Lipid-driven modulation of milk/soy proteins digestion in young child formulas: From in vitro gastric emptying to intestinal absorption coupled with in vivo protease activation.
| Title: | Lipid-driven modulation of milk/soy proteins digestion in young child formulas: From in vitro gastric emptying to intestinal absorption coupled with in vivo protease activation. |
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| Authors: | Mo Q; Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China., Wang J; Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China., Xu C; College of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410208, PR China., Fan X; Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China., Lin T; Quality Standards and Testing Technology Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, 650205, PR China., Ma K; Jiangsu New-Bio Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Jiangyin, Jiangsu 214400, PR China; Jiangsu Biodep Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Jiangyin, Jiangsu 214400, PR China., Zhang C; Jiangsu New-Bio Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Jiangyin, Jiangsu 214400, PR China; Jiangsu Biodep Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Jiangyin, Jiangsu 214400, PR China., Geng S; Jiangsu New-Bio Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Jiangyin, Jiangsu 214400, PR China; Jiangsu Biodep Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Jiangyin, Jiangsu 214400, PR China., Ji F; Jiangsu New-Bio Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Jiangyin, Jiangsu 214400, PR China; Jiangsu Biodep Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Jiangyin, Jiangsu 214400, PR China., Rui X; Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China., Li W; Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China. Electronic address: lw1981@njau.edu.cn. |
| Source: | Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.) [Food Res Int] 2026 Jul 31; Vol. 236, pp. 119137. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Apr 15. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Published on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology by Elsevier Applied Science Country of Publication: Canada NLM ID: 9210143 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-7145 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09639969 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Food Res Int Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada : Published on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology by Elsevier Applied Science, c1992- |
| MeSH Terms: | Soybean Proteins*/metabolism , Soybean Proteins*/chemistry , Peptide Hydrolases*/metabolism , Lipids*/chemistry , Infant Formula*/chemistry , Milk Proteins*/metabolism , Milk*/chemistry , Gastric Emptying* , Intestinal Absorption* , Digestion*, Protein Hydrolysates/metabolism ; Animals ; Humans ; Proteolysis ; Emulsions ; Mice |
| Abstract: | The digestive fate of proteins in young child formulas can be significantly modulated by interactions with co-existing lipids. In this study, a dynamic in vitro gastrointestinal model simulating young child digestion, which was complemented by in vivo murine studies, was employed to investigate how varying lipid concentrations (2.50, 3.00, 4.00 g/100 mL) impact the digestive trajectory of a milk/soy protein-stabilized emulsion. It was found that lipid addition accelerated gastric emptying, which led to an earlier and more extensive release of protein hydrolysates upon entering the intestinal phase. Quantitatively, medium-lipid (3.00 g/100 mL) and high-lipid (4.00 g/100 mL) formulations achieved at 60 min of intestinal digestion a level of proteolysis (27.47-27.68 mg/mL of protein hydrolysate release) that exceeded the 90-min value of the control (no lipid, 25.05 ± 1.80 mg/mL). This enhanced proteolysis was mechanistically linked to lipid-induced structural changes, as lipid addition promoted protein unfolding during digestion. Although free fatty acid release increased with lipid content, a lower lipid conversion rate was observed in the high-lipid group. Crucially, these modulatory effects translated into enhanced absorption of protein hydrolysates, where the medium-lipid formulation (3.00 g/100 mL) optimally balanced proteolysis and lipolysis, yielding the highest transmembrane transport rate of hydrolysates (92.75 ± 5.81%) at 120 min of gastrointestinal digestion. In vivo experiments confirmed that protease activity was stimulated by lipid supplementation. This study establishes lipids as active directors of protein digestive fate, thereby providing a mechanistic basis for optimizing lipid content as a tool to enhance protein utilization in young child formulas. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Caco-2 cell transport; In vitro digestion; Oil-in-water emulsion; Protease activity; Protein hydrolysates |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Soybean Proteins) EC 3.4.- (Peptide Hydrolases) 0 (Protein Hydrolysates) 0 (Lipids) 0 (Emulsions) 0 (Milk Proteins) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260512 Date Completed: 20260716 Latest Revision: 20260716 |
| Update Code: | 20260717 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.119137 |
| PMID: | 42116441 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
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