Insights into the role of chia mucilage in lipid digestion reduction through bile salt sequestration

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of chia mucilage (CM) on the lipid digestion of CM and β-lactoglobulin (β-lg)-CM mixed oil/water emulsions and to explore this effect through its interactions with bile salts (BS), key agents in the duodenal lipolysis process. CM exhibited high emulsifying and stabilizing capacity, particularly at concentrations above 0.5% w/w. During duodenal digestion, CM emulsions showed significant lower fatty acid release (21–25%) compared to mixed β-lg–CM (84–91%) and β-lg (100%) emulsions, corresponding to an approximate 75–80% reduction in lipolysis relative to the β-lg-stabilized emulsion under the applied in vitro digestion conditions. Dynamic light scattering and turbidity analyses suggested a potential association between CM and BS in solution that may influence BS availability in the duodenal environment. These findings provide mechanistic insight into how CM modulates lipid digestion through BS binding, altering the lipase action, offering new opportunities for the development of functional foods intended to control lipid metabolism and prevent cardiovascular diseases.