Engineering strategies to modulate nutrient digestion kinetics and bioaccessibility of plant-based foods

Since plant-based raw materials present a relatively high level of nutrient encapsulation, processing is often essential to increase the susceptibility of nutrients to digestive compounds or to release nutrients from their natural entrapment to become available for digestion/absorption. Next to food processing, food (re)formulation is also a valuable strategy to steer nutrient digestive functionalities. These two food design strategies create a range of different food (micro)structures that are broken down along the gastrointestinal tract determining nutrients digestibility/bioaccessibility. Additionally, the role of digestion conditions on nutrient digestion/bioaccessibility cannot be ignored, paving the way for engineering strategies to develop food for specific target populations.

Automated summary

Because plant-based raw materials have a high level of nutrient encapsulation, processing and (re)formulation are important strategies to improve nutrient accessibility. These strategies create different food structures that determine the digestibility of nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, the digestion conditions also play a role in nutrient availability, which can be optimized for specific target populations through engineering strategies.