Gluten digestibility by dynamic in vitro simulation: impact of technological changes in bread

Abstract

Gluten comprises a viscoelastic network that governs the rheological behavior of doughs and the quality of various bakery products. Despite its unique technological property, it is responsible for triggering the inflammatory response in individuals with celiac disease (CD), who live on a gluten-restricted diet throughout their lives. The disorder manifests itself in 0.7 to 1.4% of the global population and evidence suggests a real increase in the prevalence of cases in recent decades. In addition to genetic predisposition, a series of environmental conditions, still poorly understood, can trigger CD. In the technological field, it remains to be understood, for example, whether the flour strengthening, carried out by the addition of oxidizing agents, has an impact on the pathogenesis of CD. In contrast, direct acidification processes in breads may play a role in reducing immunogenic peptides. In this sense, a better understanding of different combined technologies on the gluten digestibility would be relevant for the development of bakery products.In this project will be developed a TIM in vitro model (TNO Gastrointestinal Model), which reproduces the dynamic conditions of digestion. Through the TIM model will be quantified the amount of gluten and the profile of immunogenic peptides resulting from the digestion of bread samples with the addition of ascorbic acid (oxidizing agent) and acetic acid (organic acid). The action of an exogenous enzyme, prolyl endoprotease from Aspergillus niger (AN-PEP), on gluten hydrolysis will also be analyzed, being co-administered with bread samples in the oral digestion phase. The results will contribute to clarifying the factors that trigger CD, as well as helping to design an alternative to the restrictive gluten-free diet.