Effects on digestibility of powder honey in semi -dynamic model

Abstract

Healthy foods and quality are essential requirements for consumers seeking a healthier life. Thus, the use of honey is of great value to meet these demands. Honey is a product highly consumed due to its peculiarity regarding aroma and taste, as well as its several beneficial effects on human health. However, honey shelf-life is an extremely critical factor, since long periods of storage can result in different changes in its composition. Therefore, an alternative to significantly minimize this difficulty is using honey in powder. One of the distinguished drying methods, which is continually expanding in the field of food science, is spray drying. The interest about the physiological response of specific foods in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) of humans has increased. Diets have beenlinked with the health of distinct demographic groups, requiring, for example, more efficiency in nutrient release for athletes to have sufficient energy and fast recovery during their exercise, and for elderly people that benefit from fast amino acid uptake to enhance their muscular system. However, to understand this complex phenomenon, the digestive processes within the GI of humans has to be observed in greater detail. This research project aims to evaluate the effects on gastric digestion of honey powder by a semi-dynamic model. The project includes the following steps: (i) producing honey powder by spray drying using rice protein as carrier; (ii) determining the semi- dynamic model conditions for the gastric digestion of honey powder; (iii) characterizing honey powder in the beginning and during the kinetics of gastric digestion.