INFOGEST 2.0 Protocol Applied to Animal-Derived Milk and Dairy Products: A Systematic Review of Six Years of...

The INFOGEST protocol is a standardised in vitro digestion model widely utilised to evaluate the digestibility and bioaccessibility of nutrients in diverse food matrices. This review focuses on its application since 2020 (after the publication of the INFOGEST 2.0 model) to milk and dairy products, which often serve as a suitable food matrix in digestion studies. By analysing 50 studies selected using a semi-automated method, this review highlights its strong performance in reproducing general digestive trends, including peptide fingerprint profiling, consistent high-protein digestibility, and matrix-dependent lipid and mineral bioaccessibility. The model is particularly effective in evaluating structural modifications of dairy products and their impact on digestive behaviour. However, its application remains skewed toward bovine systems, limiting broader relevance to other dairy matrices. Methodological variability, including protocol modifications and emerging semi-dynamic adaptations, poses challenges to reproducibility. Furthermore, reliance on simplified downstream models constrains the physiological interpretation of bioactivity and nutrient absorption. Future progress requires harmonised dynamic extensions, expanded use of advanced biological systems, and inclusion of diverse dairy matrices. Collectively, these advances will support a shift from descriptive bioaccessibility toward more predictive assessments of nutrient bioavailability. This six-year, non-topic-dependent bibliometric analysis contextualises the expanding adoption of INFOGEST 2.0 as reflected in its versatility and evolving scope, positioning it as a cornerstone tool for advancing our understanding of dairy nutrition, digestion-derived bioactivity, and ultimately, the relationship between dairy consumption and human health.