The scientists of The Institute of Food research have made progress concerning the breakdown of certain fats and satiety. They believe to have found a synergy to break down fat thus allowing paving the way for the possibility of finding ways to slow down the process by which we digest fat and even to create food structures that will make us feel full. Dr Peter Wilde from The Institute of Food Research explains that most of the fat found in processed food is presented in the form of emulsions like ice creams, mayonnaise and yoghurts. Using the knowledge we have of our bodies and how they break down these fats, future research can help us discover how to make fats which break down at a slower rate.
By slowing the digestion of fats, the fatty acids then reach the ileum where they can stimulate hormones that induce satiety. Scientists at The Institute of Food Research are experimenting with the use of protein layers to stabilise the emulsions. The results showed that a normally stable whey protein gets broken down only partially whereas when a surfactant is introduced to the emulsion, the protein layer is broken down more substantially, opening the way for enzymes to break down the fat.
The Institute of Food Research is the only institution carrying out studies on the digestion of emulsions and how they may induce satiety.