Valorization of agro-industrial residues like tomato pomace is supported by the growth of a circular economy. Tomato pomace is a widely used source of the cutin polyester, a raw material for creating biobased materials and coatings. Cutin is usually incorporated into materials in the form of its hydrolyzable products. In this study, we focused on the production of biopolymer films composed of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and cutin oligomeric mixtures (COMs) yielded by chemical or supercritical water hydrolysis (SCWH). Either COM and their derived materials were comprehensively characterized (e.g., NMR, GC-MS, MALDI-TOF MS), including antimicrobial properties against E. coli and S. aureus, two foodborne pathogens. The results show that despite their compositional differences, both COMs reported similar behavior in direct antimicrobial activity: kill ≤92% of S. aureus cells but promote E. coli growth. The materials comprising COMs showed variable hydrophobicity and reduced water uptake compared to controls. The COMs improved the materials killing efficacy against S. aureus, regardless of the fact that only those yielded by SCWH (richer in monomers) showed a concentration-dependent effect. All tested materials failed to inhibit the adhesion of S. aureus, and while COMs addition did not improve the materials' capacity to kill E. coli, it effectively blocked its adhesion.
We investigated whether low (L) or high (H) amounts of tricaprylin (TC) or triolein (TO) modulate fat-soluble vitamin bioavailability. Mice received 5 mg kg-1 vitamins with either 117 or 933 mg kg-1 of TC or TO. The vitamin levels were monitored in the plasma (0-6 h) and intestine (6 h). The plasma vitamin A response was up to 87.6 ± 3.2% higher (p < 0.0001) with LTC compared to HTC or HTO. The vitamin D response remained unaffected. The plasma vitamin E and K responses were both favored by HTO (up to +283.9 ± 24.0%, p < 0.0001 and +163.8 ± 34.7%, p = 0.033, respectively). The intestinal vitamin A, E and K concentrations reflected the modulations observed in the plasma, while the intestinal vitamin D concentration was significantly higher with HTC compared to LTC (796.9 ± 80.8 vs. 457.1 ± 46.3 pmol g-1, p = 0.0340). Overall, the type and amount of triglycerides influence the bioavailability of vitamins A, E and K but not that of vitamin D. These results could help in formulating fortified foods.
Consumer interest in replacing dairy with plant-based alternatives has grown due to concerns over cow milk protein allergies, lactose intolerance, environmental and ethical considerations. In this study, the digestion kinetics of commercial soybean/cow milks and creams, selected on the basis of similar compositions and structures, were quantitatively assessed. During the gastric phase, soybean milk exhibited a higher lipolysis degree (47%) but similar proteolysis degree (15%) compared to cow milk. During the intestinal phase, soybean milk demonstrated higher lipolysis (90%) and proteolysis (87%) than cow milk, indicating that protein composition and structure affected both lipid and protein hydrolysis. At the end of gastric digestion, soybean cream showed greater proteolysis (20%) but lower lipolysis than cow milk cream, and this trend was maintained during intestinal digestion, aligning with differences in free fatty acid release. Large differences in cow milk fat and soybean oil fatty acid profiles led to contrasted fatty acid bioaccessibility, with soybean products generally exhibiting higher bioaccessibility. Vitamin D showed slightly higher gastrointestinal stability in soybean milk compared to cow milk (52% vs. 50%) but vitamin D bioaccessibility was similar (50%). Monitoring lipid droplet behavior throughout digestion suggested that evolving microstructures also likely impact digestion kinetics. These results provide an overview of digestive behaviors of plant-and animal-based milks and creams, which may contribute to the design of mixed plant-based milk products.
In vitro gastrointestinal models are widely used to study food digestion, in combination with analytical methods to determine the physicochemical and biochemical fate of food compounds. The in vitro bioaccessibility determined with these models is often used as an indicator of the in vivo bioavailability. However, the bioaccessibility concept is not used consistently within the scientific literature, leading to confusion and making it difficult to compare the results from different studies. The aim of this article is to provide standardized definitions of in vitro digestibility and bioaccessibility, detailing the main processes involved, including physical release, solubilization, and biochemical/metabolic reactions. The terminology of complementary cellular, ex vivo, and animal/human in vivo experiments is also given. Application of the in vitro terminology to different nutrients is discussed, including lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and other bioactive compounds. The proposed definitions unify most concepts related to the gastrointestinal fate of ingested food compounds.
The cell walls are known to play an important role in the evolution of tomato quality during processing, but the mechanisms are not always clearly identified. The study investigated changes in cell wall polysaccharides in two tomato varieties, Terradou and H1311, following hot air drying at 45 °C for 18-20 h. Significant reductions in pectic sugars (rhamnose, uronic acid), pectin methyl esterification, and hemicellulose-related sugars (mannose, glucose, xylose) were observed, particularly in H1311, mirroring ripening processes and indicating enzyme activity during drying. Solid-state NMR revealed increase in cellulose crystallinity, especially in Terradou, along with reduced cell wall polysaccharide organization, reduced water content around pectin and increased cell wall interactions of pectin as the fruit dried. The correlations between sugar composition and structural dynamics suggest that mannan may play a key role in cellulose organization. The study highlights the role of fruit genetics and enzymatic breakdown in the drying process. It is hypothesized that preservation of hemicelluloses structure during drying helps maintain cell wall porosity, which may facilitate faster water migration.
