Integrating in Vitro Food Digestion with Epithelial Absorption Models

As food travels through the gastrointestinal tract, it undergoes structural transformations, and its nutrients are absorbed across the intestinal barrier. Considerable progress has been made toward standardizing in vitro digestion protocols, such as the INFOGEST method, to mimic upper gut processes. However, achieving a deeper understanding of food component behavior requires mimicking absorption in vitro, typically using polarized epithelial cell models. A major challenge lies in the lack of a standardised accepted protocol for preparing digesta samples for subsequent cell studies, which hampers result comparability. It is essential to critically evaluate current detoxification strategies, explore alternative approaches and their limitations, and propose best practices to ensure digesta samples are non-toxic to intestinal monolayers. Establishing consensus protocols for in vitro studies of nutrient absorption across the intestinal barrier is therefore a key priority. 

Speaker: Elena Arranz (Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) & Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación, CIAL (CSIC-UAM, CEI UAM + CSIC)