Food Research International · Jan 9, 2025

Microbial protease supplementation improves gastric emptying and protein digestive fate of beef for the elderly under dynamic in vitro digestion

By Zhou Z, Liu Y, Ishigaki Y et al.

Elderly individuals experience age-related declines in digestive function, which can hinder the digestion of dietary proteins and thereby negatively impact overall health. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the protein digestive fate of beef with Protease-DS supplementation by analyzing gastric emptying behavior and amino acid and peptide profiles during a simulated in vitro elderly digestion process. The adult model exhibited superior gastric emptying capacity, with relatively rapid and early expulsion of gastric digesta into the intestinal segment. Additionally, the underperforming elderly model showed notable improvement in the emptying process with Protease-DS supplementation, achieving a rate of 0.0110 min⁻¹, which was close to the adult model of 0.0125 min⁻¹ and significantly faster than the elderly model of 0.0080 min⁻¹. Protein digestibility in the elderly model was significantly enhanced with Protease-DS supplementation, increasing from 55.62 % to 63.60 %, approaching that of the adult model (69.60 %). Protease-DS significantly improved the essential amino acid score (EAAS), particularly for methionine + cysteine, phenylalanine + tyrosine, lysine, and leucine. Furthermore, it enhanced the release of unique polypeptide fragments, distinct from those in both the adult and elderly models, and demonstrated significant anti-amnesic and antithrombotic bioactive functions, highlighting its potential to improve memory and reduce blood clotting. This study provides guidance for elderly consumers on enhancing dietary protein digestion through protease supplementation, presenting it as an effective strategy to address protein deficiency and improve health and well-being.

doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2025.115721PubMed 39967173Interventions