TEPESS
Tailored engineering of dairy based protein polymer structures and their effects on satiety signals
Consortium Leader:
PhD, docent Karin Autio, VTT (www.vtt.fi)
Other group leaders:
Prof. Karl-Heinz Herzig, A. I. Virtanen Institute, Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, University of Kuopio and Department of Physiology, Oulu Unversity Medical School, Oulu
PhD Leila Karhunen, Food and Health Research Centre, University of Kuopio (
http://www.uku.fi/ettk/)
Other persons involved in the project:
MSc Martina Lille, VTT
Prof. Kaisa Poutanen, VTT and Food and Health Research Centre, University of Kuopio
MSc Kari Mäkelä, Department of Physiology, Oulu Unversity Medical School, Oulu
MSc Anne Huotari, Department of Physiology, Oulu Unversity Medical School, Oulu
MSc Kristiina Juvonen, Food and Health Research Centre, University of Kuopio
Prof. Leo Niskanen, Department of Internal Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital
PhD, MD, docent David Laaksonen, Department of Internal Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital
Dr. Claire Mills, Institute of Food Research, UK (
http://www.ifr.ac.uk/)
ABSTRACT
The project aims at creating novel foods that have an impact on satiety and the regulation of energy intake. Food structure is formed in food processing, and the same raw materials may yield products with completely different properties depending on the process used. The food structure and proteins in general have a strong impact on satiety. The project aims at understanding how different textures in casein and beta-lactoglobulin based protein gels and emulsions affect satiety and food intake. A better understanding of the mechanisms controlling satiety and food intake, such as the breakdown in the upper gastrointestinal tract during digestion, effects on the gastric emptying rate and on gut hormonal responses would help us to develop foods with stronger satiety-producing effect.
The participants are: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (PhD Karin Autio, consortium coordinator), Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Kuopio and Department of Physiology, Oulu Unversity Medical School (Prof. Karl Heinz Herzig) as well as Food and Health Research Centre, University of Kuopio (PhD Leila Karhunen). In addition, the Institute of Food Research, UK is a collaborating partner (Dr. Clare Mills).
Texture of dairy based model gels and emulsions will be tailored by combining special cross-linking enzymes with processing. We aim to affect the breakdown and kinetics of transport through the different compartments of the GI tract. In vitro studies will be performed by using the IFR Gut Model and protein fragmentation studied by the IFR-JIC joint proteomics platform. This will allow us to discover how cross-linked structures affect the kinetics and patterns of protein breakdown in the simulated GI tract digestion system. Samples with very different patterns of protein breakdown will be studied in animal models. Animals will be fed diets containing selected tailored protein structures and the effects of these diets on energy metabolism and homeostasis will be investigated. Plasma responses of insulin, CCK, GLP-1, ghrelin and PYY will be determined in addition to gene transcription analysis of the appropriate peptide hormones. In addition, postprandial human metabolic studies will be performed using products showing the most marked responses in in vitro- and/or animal studies to examine the physiological responses these food structures elicit in the human body. In the first phase, healthy normal-weight subjects will be examined, and in later phases possibly also subjects with different BMI or metabolism. Postprandial hormonal/metabolic (e.g. plasma/serum glucose, insulin, cholecystokinin, ghrelin, peptide YY, glucagon-like peptide 1), satiety responses and gastric emptying will be determined.
Key words: Milk proteins, casein, beta-lactoglobulin, enzyme, cross-linking, rheology, digestion, satiety, gastric emptying rate, gut hormones, energy intake, metabolism, obesity