Impact of dietary fibres from seaweeds on the digestion mechanism of food proteins

The global food system faces significant challenges, including increasing food demand due to population growth, environmental concerns associated with climate change, and the impact of dietary habits on public health. Food resources are not being used efficiently, leading to biodiversity loss, water shortages, and land overexploitation, while unhealthy diets contribute to chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. In this context, the food industry is exploring alternative food sources that offer high nutritional value and health benefits.

Seaweeds have gained attention as a sustainable food resource due to their rapid growth, high nutrient content, and lack of competition for arable land and freshwater. However, their potential remains underutilized, primarily due to their low digestibility, as their complex cell walls contain indigestible polysaccharides. Understanding the interactions between dietary fibers and food proteins is crucial to improving the digestibility and bioavailability of seaweed-based foods. Building on previous research, in this proposal we aim to investigate the effect of agar, a polysaccharide abundant in red seaweeds, on protein digestion and the nanostructural assembly of digestion products. In operando in vitro gastrointestinal digestions will be conducted on casein-agar blends at varying ratios, assessing the role of different bile salt concentrations in the intestinal phase. Complementary techniques such as microscopy, rheology, and peptidomics will provide further insight into digestion mechanisms and food structuring processes.

The results of this study will contribute to developing strategies to enhance the nutritional quality of fiber-rich alternative food sources. In the long term, the findings will support the design of advanced dynamic digestion models that more accurately simulate physiological conditions, aiding in the formulation of more digestible and nutritionally optimized seaweed-based food products.