Objective
Obesity is a major health problem in the EU and levels are currently increasing. A strong correlation exists between dietary fat intake and obesity, contributing to increased incidences of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. These related conditions have a hugely detrimental impact on the quality of life of the sufferers and also on national health care resources, currently estimated at 5% of the EU’s total healthcare budget. There is a need to better understand the effect of the complex interfacial structures that stabilise emulsions on the mechanisms involved in the breakdown of fat by lipases (Lipolysis). Lipase and its cofactor colipase have to adsorb on to the surface of fat droplets, in order to access and hydrolyse fats into their constituent components, so that they can be absorbed by the body. Processed food emulsions are stabilised by complex interfaces composed of proteins, emulsifiers and lipids. Lipase action is very sensitive to interfacial composition. We have shown that bile salts can displace the protein networks, but the extent to which interfacial structures are degraded during digestion will determine how quickly lipid is broken down and digested. By slowing down lipid digestion is thought that we can induce feelings of satiety and reduce subsequent dietary fat intake by reducing appetite. The intention is to determine how the physiological conditions in the stomach and the duodenum change the structure of these interfacial layers, including synergistic/cumulative effects. Then to correlate these interfacial structures with rates of breakdown of fats by lipases. This information will be obtained using state-of-the-art interfacial biophysics methods and unique probe microscopy techniques for imaging interfacial structure. The improved understanding of the role of interfacial structure will be used to explain the digestion of commercial food emulsions and to modify or design new products to moderate fat digestion.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyother engineering and technologiesfood technology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteins
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculeslipids
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiophysics
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesnutritionobesity
Keywords
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
FP7-PEOPLE-2007-2-1-IEF
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)Coordinator
NR4 7UQ Norwich
United Kingdom