About this Research Topic
Understanding how the digestion process influences and alters the composition and structure of food is essential for food developers and nutritionists aiming to optimize nutrient availability. Although human studies are ultimately required to substantiate health, nutritional, and functional claims, such studies are often costly, time-consuming, and subject to strict medical and ethical constraints. In recent years, in vitro experiments—encompassing both static and dynamic digestion models—have gained popularity as viable alternatives to human and animal studies. In particular, the international INFOGEST network has played a significant role in this area, particularly in standardizing and validating in vitro digestion protocols and correlating these findings with in vivo data.
Thanks to this standardisation of the in vitro digestion protocols, the application of in vitro digestion models can provide useful information in many aspects of food nutritional studies, such as:
- Assessing the release and absorption of nutrients from food matrices
- Studying how food structure changes during digestion
- Evaluating the impact of food processing or novel ingredients on digestion.
- Investigating the survival and activity of beneficial microbes in the gut.
- Designing foods with targeted health benefits based on digestive fate.
However, in vitro models are a simplification of reality and so cannot fully replicate the complexity of the human digestive system, including interactions with the gut microbiome and other physiological factors. Despite their limitations, in vitro digestion models provide valuable insights into food digestion and nutrient absorption, contributing significantly to advancements in food science and nutrition research.
The purposes of this Research Topic are:
• to collect current papers on the various applications of in vitro digestion protocols in the field of food and nutrition;
• to understand the diverse uses of in vitro digestion models and their combination with other analyses and approaches;
• to identify the optimal applications of in vitro digestion and the types of studies for which it has become essential.
Thanks to this standardisation of the in vitro digestion protocols, the application of in vitro digestion models can provide useful information in many aspects of food nutritional studies, such as:
- Assessing the release and absorption of nutrients from food matrices
- Studying how food structure changes during digestion
- Evaluating the impact of food processing or novel ingredients on digestion.
- Investigating the survival and activity of beneficial microbes in the gut.
- Designing foods with targeted health benefits based on digestive fate.
However, in vitro models are a simplification of reality and so cannot fully replicate the complexity of the human digestive system, including interactions with the gut microbiome and other physiological factors. Despite their limitations, in vitro digestion models provide valuable insights into food digestion and nutrient absorption, contributing significantly to advancements in food science and nutrition research.
The purposes of this Research Topic are:
• to collect current papers on the various applications of in vitro digestion protocols in the field of food and nutrition;
• to understand the diverse uses of in vitro digestion models and their combination with other analyses and approaches;
• to identify the optimal applications of in vitro digestion and the types of studies for which it has become essential.
Keywords: In vitro digestion, Bioaccessibility, Duodenum, Static digestion, Dynamic digestion
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
