In vitro investigation of the bioaccessibility of food components in digestion simulation model

In societies with progressive population ageing, cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes are accounted among leading causes of death. Excessive dietary fat and sugar load of the body are acknowledged as indirect risk factors in the development of both diseases. These risk factors can be trivially reduced by less consumption of food high in these ingredients. In addition, reduction of fat and sugar load also can be supported by co-consuming bioactive substances that can mitigate the biological utilisation of these macronutrients. One of the mechanisms of action of the bioactives that we focus on is their ability to inhibit the effective digestion of some complex carbohydrates and fats, hence the transformation of these nutrients to the forms suitable for further biological utilisation. A medicine licenced also in the EU is also available relying on this mechanism of action to reduce fat utilisation. The aim of our research is however, to study such effects of natural bioactive compounds (primarily polyphenols) consumed as a part of our diet. The effect of these natural bioactives on digestion is studied in an internationally acknowledged consensus model for simulating human digestion. This enables studying the interaction of real food and co-consumed bioactives under realistic conditions, that contributes to the better understanding of the effects associated to these plant bioactives, which effects are rather rarely validated under nutritionally relevant conditions.

Development of high-nutrition value milk protein-based foods and ingredients for special purpose nutritional products and a protein nutritional quality labeling system

Milk Protein Isolate (MPI) or Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC) are ones of main product lines in dairy industry. Recently, these products that are also produced in large quantities by Sole-Mizo Corporation, are primarily used in the production of fermented milks or milk products, cheeses and ice cream. Additionally, due to the MPC/MPI also have high application potential as high and specified protein ingredient in the production of functional foods for nutrition of sports and in the development of foods with special functions for clinical nutrition purpose. Currently, whey protein-based products take a domination in sports and clinical nutrition sector because of excellent bioavailability and advantageous technofunctional properties. One of main goals of our project is the production of a special protein mixture from MPI/MPC that definitely have some advantages including high nutritional value (even higher biological value than of the whey protein) and thus it significantly increase the application potential of MPC/ MPI-s. The digestibility and bioavailability of the original MPI/MPC products will be improved by a) different biotechnological bioconversions such as enzymatic technique or use of microbes; b) the addition of (non-MPI/MPC) protein preparations from other sources that can modify the amino acid compositions and pattern in the final product. The innovativeness of the proposed project is also strengthened by the application of new combinative and comprehensive approach (combination of both supplementation of high-value proteins and bioconversion methods), which is still rarely reported in the literature either in the production scale. The second main goal should be the development of new labelling system associated with trademark that will inform correctly and use-friendly all basic nutritional information for consumers even for dummies as well as provide objectively and scientifically the nutritional values of any food products, protein preparations, any kinds of foods or supplements. Our labelling and trademark system for certification of nutritional value of certain protein preparations is based on transparent and objective criteria for qualification procedure, scientific evidence, internationally accepted qualification methods. This trademark will be used to certify a 'quality' of such branded product in term of protein.