Usefulness of 1H NMR in assessing the extent of lipid digestion

Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR) is proved to be, for the first time, a very useful technique in monitoring the extent of lipid hydrolysis in digestion processes. Sunflower oil and minced fish flesh, as model foods, were subjected to different in vitro digestion experiments and the lipolysis levels reached were evaluated using 1H NMR spectral data. Simple observation of the spectra gives very valuable information about the extent of the lipolysis and enables a rapid discrimination among samples having different hydrolysis degree. Equations were developed to quantify all the lipolytic products, and either referred to acyl groups plus fatty acids, or to glyceryl structures. The main hydrolysis products were 1,2-diglycerides, 2-monoglycerides, glycerol and fatty acids, although small proportions of 1,3-diglycerides and of 1-monoglycerides were also found. With this methodology, determination of the extent of lipid digestion in its different definitions can be made. It has been shown that these definitions are not equivalent, which is evidence for the need for a consensus in this regard.