Dissolution tests as a tool for predicting bioaccessibility of nutrients during digestion

Bioaccessibility and bioavailability of active ingredients (like vitamins, antioxidants, etc.) into food systems is often compromised by factors like low permeability and/or solubility within the gut, lack of stability during food processing (temperature and oxygen) as well as in the gastrointestinal tract (pH, enzymes, presence of other nutrients). Moreover, little is known on the influence of food structure and breakdown in the gut on nutrient release. The possibility of predicting the release of nutrients from food matrices under simulated gastrointestinal conditions is of great relevance in order to define which food matrix is best for which nutrient, as well as for looking at the interaction of ingredients with the enzymes involved in the digestive process. This study explores the potential relevance of dissolution tests as a tool for predicting bioaccessibility of nutrients during in vitro digestion. Whey protein hydrogels containing green tea extract (GTE) were chosen for this study. Different simulated in vitro gastrointestinal conditions (GI) were applied throughout the dissolution experiments and the GTE was analysed by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. It was possible to distinguish between two different release kinetics when experiments were performed in simulated gastric or intestinal media. In the gastric step, the kinetic of GTE release was lower than in an intestinal environment, suggesting that more GTE is released and available for absorption into the intestine than in the stomach. The present study shows that it is possible to use the dissolution tester as a screening method to mimic nutrient release from a food matrix in the gastrointestinal tract.