TY - JOUR

T1 - Size and number of food boluses in the stomach after eating different meals

T2 - Magnetic resonance imaging insights in healthy humans

AU - Hornby, Hannah

AU - Collado-González, Mar

AU - Zhang, Xue

AU - Abrehart, Nichola

AU - Alshammari, Meshari

AU - Bakalis, Serafim

AU - Mackie, Alan

AU - Marciani, Luca

N1 - This article belongs to the Section Nutrition and Metabolism.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Oral processing of food results in the formation of food boluses, which are then swallowed and reach the stomach for further digestion. The number, size and surface properties of the boluses will affect their processing and emptying from the stomach. Knowledge of these parameters, however, is incomplete due to limitations of the techniques used. In this work, non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used for the first time to measure boluses in the stomach a few minutes after swallowing. Three groups of nine healthy participants were fed three different meals: chicken and roasted vegetables (Meal 1), bread and jam (Meal 2) and cheese and yogurt (Meal 3), and then, their stomach content was imaged. The median number of boluses within the stomach was 282, 106 and 9 for Meal 1, Meal 2 and Meal 3 (p < 0.0001) with an average volume of 0.47 mL, 2.4 mL and 13.6 mL, respectively (p < 0.0001). The cohesiveness as well as the meal composition seem to play a key role in the resulting boluses. These new in vivo data from undisturbed organ imaging can improve knowledge of the digestion process, which will, in turn, inform in vitro and in silico modelling of digestion, thus improving their in vitro/in vivo relevance.

AB - Oral processing of food results in the formation of food boluses, which are then swallowed and reach the stomach for further digestion. The number, size and surface properties of the boluses will affect their processing and emptying from the stomach. Knowledge of these parameters, however, is incomplete due to limitations of the techniques used. In this work, non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used for the first time to measure boluses in the stomach a few minutes after swallowing. Three groups of nine healthy participants were fed three different meals: chicken and roasted vegetables (Meal 1), bread and jam (Meal 2) and cheese and yogurt (Meal 3), and then, their stomach content was imaged. The median number of boluses within the stomach was 282, 106 and 9 for Meal 1, Meal 2 and Meal 3 (p < 0.0001) with an average volume of 0.47 mL, 2.4 mL and 13.6 mL, respectively (p < 0.0001). The cohesiveness as well as the meal composition seem to play a key role in the resulting boluses. These new in vivo data from undisturbed organ imaging can improve knowledge of the digestion process, which will, in turn, inform in vitro and in silico modelling of digestion, thus improving their in vitro/in vivo relevance.

KW - Bolus size

KW - Digestion

KW - Distribution

KW - In vivo

KW - Intragastric

KW - Meal composition

KW - MRI

U2 - 10.3390/nu13103626

DO - 10.3390/nu13103626

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 34684627

AN - SCOPUS:85117035644

VL - 13

JO - Nutrients

JF - Nutrients

SN - 2072-6643

IS - 10

M1 - 3626

ER -