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Review
. 2021 Apr 14:4:308-319.
doi: 10.1016/j.crfs.2021.04.004. eCollection 2021.

A review on the food digestion in the digestive tract and the used in vitro models

Ilkay Sensoy  1
Affiliations
Review

A review on the food digestion in the digestive tract and the used in vitro models

Ilkay Sensoy. Curr Res Food Sci. .

Abstract

It is crucial to replicate or mimic the human digestive system conditions closely in model systems to have the food digestion-related data as accurate as possible. Thus, the data obtained could contribute to studies like those on the relationship between health and nutrition. This review aims to express the human digestion system's role in food digestion and compare the capability of the models used in simulations, especially the dynamic in vitro models. Activities of the human digestive system governing food digestion and the food matrix's disintegration mechanism in the digestive system were discussed. Dynamic in vitro models and their relevance to the human digestive system were described. Advancements in the last 20 years, as well as limitations of those artificial systems, with prospects, were discussed. Extensive use and improvement on these models will extend our knowledge of the food matrix and digestive system's complex interaction. Thus, it will be possible to design next-generation foods with improved health benefits.

Keywords: Dynamic model; Food matrix; In vitro, food digestion.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Digestive secretions and absorption of water (numeric values are from Smith and Morton (2010)).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Anatomy of the stomach.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
(a) Contractions of the stomach, (b) Peristalsis and segmentation in the digestive system.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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