Optimal food structuring provides enhanced satiety - research

01-Jul-2013 - Last updated on 03-Jul-2013 at 15:19 GMT

Satiation by a food can be increased by specific structuring that leads to sedimentation of an energy-dense layer in the stomach.

This is the outcome of a study by scientists from Nizo food research and the Institute of Food Research (IFR) who claim the effect can be used to help consumers to reduce their calorie intake.

Stomach volume and the rate at which the stomach releases nutrients to the small intestine for absorption are important physiological parameters by which the body estimates the time to stop eating and foods behave differently in the stomach, depending on their structure.

If a food in the stomach separates into an energy-poor upper layer and a viscous energy-dense sediment, the energy-dense part is delivered to the small intestine first, keeping the energy-poor liquid layer stacked on top.

Stimulate satiation

The volume of the stomach then stays larger for a longer time while at the same time the small intestine signals an influx of high-energy food. Nizo scientist George van Aken anticipated that this situation, which resembles the situation of the stomach being filled homogeneously with a large volume of energy-dense food, would stimulate satiation.

Now, in their recent study published in American Journal of Physiology van Aken of Nizo and Alan Mackie of IFR tested this prediction by comparing two food systems with closely similar nutrient compositions and calorific content (67% from fat, 27% from protein and 6% from carbohydrates).

One of the systems was designed to sediment in the stomach, while the other remained homogeneous.

The test on human volunteers confirmed significant effects towards increased satiation from the sedimenting system.

Magnetic resonance imaging also confirmed the expected difference in the volume and distribution of the food in the stomach and the related release and detection of nutrients in the small intestine was confirmed by blood serum levels of the hormone cholecystokinin.

Slowed down

According to van Aken, this approach can be applied to a wide range of foodstuffs: "By structuring foods in such a way that an early formation of a viscous sediment of the energy-rich part is promoted, initial stomach emptying is slowed down, satiation is enhanced and food intake can be better controlled," he said.

"We have many technologies in place to reformulate foods to target this effect."