Development of predictive methodologies for calculating physical and equilibrium properties and simulation of fluid dynamics behavior of fats and oils during the digestive process

• Grant number: 17/16979-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2018
• End date: June 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Guilherme José Maximo
• Grantee: Ericsem Pereira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/21252-0 - Equilibrium and production processes of biofuels and bioproducts, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/13008-6 - Gastric digestion simulation of medium chain triglycerides using the in vitro digestion dynamic gastrointestinal model, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Fats and oils are bioproducts of great industrial and nutritional relevance, due to their sensorial contribution to food products and as an important energy source for human nutrition. However, the excessive consumption of them is directly related to several alimentary diseases, such as arteriosclerosis and obesity. In this context, computational predictive tools are of great importance for developing "tailor made" food products in order to attend specific nutritional demands, reducing products development costs, and supporting digestibility in vitro and in vivo simulations. In this context, and taking into account the lack of efficient models to predict the physical properties of food systems, this work is aimed at evaluate and develop methodologies for calculating physical properties, phase equilibrium and describe the fluid dynamics of fats and oils during the digestive process. This work is organized in 3 steps: i) Obtainment of experimental data for solid fat content curves and rheological profiles, and development of methodologies for prediction of viscosity and solid fat content of fats and oils; ii) development of methodologies for prediction of the solid content and pH of the gastric environment, after the ingestion of fats and oils, including the validation of the results by using the in vitro digestion simulation protocol, and iii) simulation of the fluid dynamic profile of fats and oils during the digestive process. This work will be focused in vegetable oils, animal and vegetable fats, widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries, with special target in the matrices from the Brazilian Biodiversity, whose information are scarce in literature. The results obtained in this work will be used to: a) implementation of an experimental data bank of physical and equilibrium properties of fats and oils; b) evaluation of the existing methodologies and development of new approaches to predict solid fat curves and viscosity, potentially used for product formulation and digestibility studies; c) implementation of an computational algorithm integrating the calculation of physical properties of fat and oils by using only their triacylglycerol composition; d) development of approaches for evaluation of the fluid dynamic profile of fats and oils during the gastric step of the digestive process, with the main focus on fats and oils of medium chain (whose majority digestion occurs in this stage).

Scientific publications

(8)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PEREIRA, ERICSEM; FERNANDES, JEAN-MICHEL; GONSALVES, RAQUEL; PINHEIRO, ANA C.; MEIRELLES, ANTONIO J. A.; MAXIMO, GUILHERME J.; VICENTE, ANTONIO A.. Evaluating the in vitro digestion of lipids rich in medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) using dynamic and static protocols. Food Chemistry, v. 406, p. 9-pg., 2023-04-16. (17/16979-7, 16/08566-1, 14/21252-0, 19/13008-6)

MAGALHAES, ANA M. S.; PEREIRA, ERICSEM; MEIRELLES, ANTONIO J. A.; SAMPAIO, KLICIA A.; MAXIMO, GUILHERME J.. Proposing blends for improving the cold flow properties of ethylic biodiesel. FUEL, v. 253, p. 50-59, OCT 1 2019. (16/08566-1, 16/10636-8, 17/16979-7, 14/21252-0)

PEREIRA, ERICSEM; PEREIRA, DEBORA T. V.; MEIRELLES, ANTONIO J. A.; MAXIMO, GUILHERME J.. Modeling the solid-liquid equilibrium of binary mixtures of triacylglycerols using UNIFAC and predictive UNIQUAC models. Fluid Phase Equilibria, v. 554, MAR 1 2022. (14/21252-0, 17/16979-7)

FRAGA, SARA; GONCALVES, DANIEL; NASARIO, FABIO; PEREIRA, ERICSEM; PONTES, PAULA; RIBAS, LARISA; BARBEIRO, LILIAN BOZZI; DE ALMEIDA MEIRELLES, ANTONIO JOSE; CABRAL, FERNANDO; SAMPAIO, KLICIA ARAUJO. Sequential high-pressure extraction of caffeine and bioactive compounds from caferana seeds (Bunchosia glandulifera). JOURNAL OF SUPERCRITICAL FLUIDS, v. 165, NOV 1 2020. (14/21252-0, 18/13207-6, 17/16979-7)

PEREIRA, ERICSEM; PEREIRA, DEBORA TAMIRES VITOR; FERREIRA, MARCELA C.; MARTINEZ, JULIAN; MEIRELLES, ANTONIO J. A.; MAXIMO, GUILHERME J.. Deacidification of Amazonian Pracaxi (Pentaclethra macroloba) and Patawa (Oenocarpus bataua) oils: experimental and modeling of liquid-liquid extraction using alcoholic solvents. Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering, v. 37, n. 4, JUL 2020. (14/21252-0, 17/16979-7, 18/15737-2, 16/08566-1, 17/23670-2)

PEREIRA, ERICSEM; FERREIRA, MARCELA CRAVO; SAMPAIO, KLICIA ARAUJO; GRIMALDI, RENATO; DE ALMEIDA MEIRELLES, ANTONIO JOSE; MAXIMO, GUILHERME JOSE. Physical properties of Amazonian fats and oils and their blends. Food Chemistry, v. 278, p. 208-215, APR 25 2019. (16/08566-1, 17/16979-7)

PEREIRA, ERICSEM; JUNQUEIRA, FERNANDO TORRES; DE ALMEIDA MEIRELLES, ANTONIO JOSE; MAXIMO, GUILHERME JOSE. Prediction of the melting behavior of edible fats using UNIFAC and UNIQUAC models. Fluid Phase Equilibria, v. 493, p. 58-66, AUG 1 2019. (17/16979-7, 16/08566-1, 14/21252-0)

PEREIRA, ERICSEM; MEIRELLES, ANTONIO J. A.; MAXIMO, GUILHERME J.. Predictive models for physical properties of fats, oils, and biodiesel fuels. Fluid Phase Equilibria, v. 508, MAR 15 2020. (14/21252-0, 16/08566-1, 17/16979-7)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

PEREIRA, Ericsem. Óleos e gorduras: metodologias preditivas para o cálculo de propriedades físicas, comportamento de fases e digestibilidade in vitro. 2022. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos Campinas, SP.