Engineering Digestion: Multiscale Processes of Food Digestion

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Food digestion is a complex process with growing importance in the food-industry due to its links to health and disease.
• While many studies exist, few offer in-depth, quantitative descriptions of food digestion.
• Existing in vitro and in vivo models have limitations in fully characterizing digestion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a framework for quantitative comparisons of food digestion processes.
• To suggest characterization parameters and phenomena for each digestion step.
• To highlight the multiscale nature of digestion and its impact on food breakdown and absorption.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of food digestion with parallel unit operations in the food and chemical industries.
• Identification of key characterization parameters and phenomena across digestion stages.
• Analysis of multiscale phenomena (multiple length scales) in food systems and the gastrointestinal tract.

Main Results:

• A framework is presented that integrates digestion processes with industrial unit operations.
• Specific characterization parameters and phenomena are suggested for quantitative digestion analysis.
• The review emphasizes the independent and interrelated influences of multiple length scales on digestion.

Conclusions:

• A multiscale, engineering approach is crucial for optimizing functional food product development.
• Quantitative process characterization and understanding interrelated length scales are key to describing food digestion.
• The proposed framework facilitates a more in-depth, engineering-based understanding of food digestion.