Bioaccessibility of fatty acids from conjugated linoleic acid-enriched milk and milk emulsions studied in a dynamic in vitro gastrointestinal model

The present study evaluated the in vitro bioaccessibility of milk fatty acids (FA) and cis-9, trans-11 18:2 using the TIM-1 gastrointestinal model from TNO, Zeist, The Netherlands. Milk naturally enriched with cis-9, trans-11 18:2 (46 mg g−1 FA) was obtained from a lactating dairy cow fed safflower oil. The other treatments consisted of synthetic conjugated linoleic acids as triacylglycerols or free FA incorporated into milk containing a low level of cis-9, trans-11 18:2. Treatments were standardised at 3.25% fat and pasteurised. Chyme was analysed for FA composition and lipid classes. FA bioaccessibility was 81.8 ± 3.1% and was not different between treatments. The degree of absorption of saturated FA decreased with chain length. Bioaccessibility was higher for unsaturated FA than for their saturated counterparts. Bioaccessibility of cis-9, trans-11 18:2 was similar among treatments and averaged 87.0 ± 3.4%. Results suggest that regiospecific distribution of cis-9, trans-11 18:2 on triacylglycerol structure does not influence its accessibility for intestinal absorption.