Food is a major source of human exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), however, PFOA bioavailability in food has not been studied. An in vivo mouse model and three in vitro methods (unified BARGE method, UBM; physiologically based extraction test, PBET; and in vitro digestion method, IVD) were used to determine the relative bioavailability and bioaccessibility of PFOA in the presence of 17 ...

The xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin probably play a role in visual function and may participate in the prevention of age-related eye diseases. Although a minimum amount of TAG is required for an optimal bioavailability of these carotenoids, the effect of the type of TAG fatty acids (FA) is less clear. The aim was to assess the effect of the type of TAG FA on bioavailability of these xanthoph...

Low calcium intake, poor calcium absorption, excessive calcium losses, or some combination of these factors contribute to calcium deficiency diseases. Calcium insufficiency is associated with osteoporosis, hypertension and colon cancer among other diseases. For individuals who do not have access to milk and dairy products, do not tolerate them, or prefer not to consume them, plants may be alter...

Selenium is a micronutrient needed by all living organisms including humans, but often present in low concentration in food with possible deficiency. From another side, at higher concentrations in soils as observed in seleniferous regions of the world, and in function of its chemical species, Se can also induce (eco)toxicity. Root Se uptake was therefore studied in function of its initial form ...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the kinetics of true ileal protein digestion and digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) of a goat milk-based infant formula (GIF), a cow milk-based infant formula (CIF), and human milk (HM). METHODS The GIF, CIF, and HM were investigated in an in vitro gastrointestinal model simulating infant conditions. Digested compounds were dialy...

DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this work to my lovely and supportive parents. I am very appreciative of their love and support. Without their guidance, I would not be able to achieve this. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge all of those associated with the Food Science Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I would like to give my special thanks to Dr. Xiao and ...

BACKGROUND The presence of lead (Pb) ammunition residues in game meat has been widely documented, yet little information exists regarding the bioaccessibility of this Pb contamination. We study how cooking treatment (recipe) can affect Pb bioaccessibility in meat of animals hunted with Pb ammunition. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We used an in vitro gastrointestinal simulation to study bioac...

An analytical procedure was proposed to estimate bioaccessibility of copper and zinc in Spirulina Pacifica tablets with respect to that of copper and zinc in gluconate complexes. Spirulina is the common name for diet supplements produced primarily from two species of cyanobacteria, namely Arthrospira platensis and Arthrospira maxima. Spirulina tablets are an excellent source of proteins, vitami...

BACKGROUND The cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Wap.) is an excellent source of iron and zinc. However, iron from plant sources is poorly absorbed compared with iron from animal sources. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to evaluate iron and zinc bioaccessibility in cowpea cultivars after processing. METHODS Zinc and iron bioaccessibilities in cowpea samples were determined based on an...

The effects of the initial emulsion structure (droplet size and emulsifier) on the properties of β-carotene-loaded emulsions and the bioavailability of β-carotene after passing through simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) digestion were investigated. Exposure to GIT significantly changed the droplet size, surface charge and composition of all emulsions, and these changes were dependent on the...