Development of a functional dairy snack containing oleoylethanolamide that reduces food intake in normal-weight and obese minipigs

Oleoylethanolamide (OEA) is a safe bioactive lipid that demonstrated strong anorexigenic properties in preclinical and clinical models. In order to evaluate the importance of OEA delivery kinetic on its anorectic properties, we developed OEA-containing dairy snacks with either a liquid or a semi-solid form. The OEA+ liquid snack, but not the semi-solid one, reduced by 14 and 18 % the amount of feed eaten by normal-weight and obese minipigs, respectively, in an eating behavior test performed 4 h after snack ingestion. In vitro digestion experiments revealed that OEA release in intestinal digesta was greatly enhanced when the snack was liquid compared to the semi-solid structure. Kinetic investigations of several plasma parameters after liquid snack ingestion points towards different potential mechanism depending upon the minipig weight status, with an effect of the OEA+ liquid snack likely on endocannabinoid and other related N-acylethanolamine metabolism in normal-weight minipigs and on ketogenesis in obese ones.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effect of OEA delivery kinetics on appetite suppression using different forms of dairy snacks. The results showed that liquid snacks containing OEA significantly reduced the amount of food consumed by minipigs, while semi-solid snacks did not have the same effect. Further experiments suggested that enhanced release of OEA in liquid snacks may affect endocannabinoid and other related metabolism.