Abstract
The intake of dietary fat and its effects on health has become a major issue in our modern societies. The rate of fat digestion and subsequent absorption is controlled by the ability of lipase and its co-enzyme co-lipase to bind to fat droplet interfaces, a process controlled and facilitated by bile salts (BS), bio-surfactants present in the gastrointestinal tract. This project aims to achieve a mechanistic understanding of the key roles played by BS: how their behaviour is controlled by their structure and how we can use competing food emulsifiers to slow down lipid digestion and thus regulate fat uptake.
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