Simulating Food Digestion and Absorption

Abstract

The food science field is dedicated to understanding the complex phenomena that occur during food digestion and absorption within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to gain knowledge about the fate of foods. This research is driven by the interconnection between dietary patterns and health and disease, together with the desire to develop innovative and tailored food products for specific population groups. In vitro systems, in vivo approaches, animal studies, cell culture studies, ex vivo techniques, mathematical and computational models, and advanced tools and techniques are utilized to investigate the interrelationships between food, digestion, absorption, and health. However, in vivo techniques are limited owing to various challenges and difficulties, so animal and ex vivo methods are widely used in food digestion, food component, drug absorption, and nutritional studies. Emerging approaches and techniques, such as microfluidics systems and in silico approaches, are expected to bridge the gaps between in vitro systems, cell culture models, ex vivo models, and animal models. Overall, understanding food digestion and absorption at various stages of gastrointestinal digestion is crucial for the development of innovative and tailored food products. This chapter outlines various in vitro, ex vivo, in vivo, and in silico approaches, together with cutting-edge tools and techniques, to help readers understand better how food is digested and absorbed at different points in the GI tract, such as oral processing in the mouth, gastric digestion in the stomach, and intestinal digestion and absorption in the small and large intestine.