In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion and Microbial Hydrolysis of Hydroxytyrosol-SCFA and Tyrosol-SCFA Acyl Esters: Controlled-Release of SCFAs and Polyphenols

Abstract

Phenolipids such as hydroxytyrosol-SCFA acyl esters (HTy-SEs) and tyrosol-SCFA acyl esters (TYr-SEs) with various alkyl chains lengths (C1–C4) and different isomers (branched-chain and straight-chain) were successfully synthesized. All esters were hydrolyzed by pancreatic lipase to produce polyphenols (HTy and TYr) and SCFAs (iso-butyric acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, and n-butyric acid). Moreover, HTy-SEs (and TYr-SEs) could also be hydrolyzed to free HTy (and TYr) and SCFAs by gut microbiota and Lactobacillus from mice feces. Especially, the hydrolysis rates showed positive correlation with the carbon skeleton length, and the hydrolysis degree (DH) of ester with a branched-chain fatty acid was weaker than that of ester with a straight-chain fatty acid. Besides, the DH values of TYr -SEs were significantly higher than those of HTy-SEs. Therefore, through regulating the structures of polyphenols, carbon skeleton lengths, and isomers, controlled-release of polyphenols and SCFAs from phenolipids will be easily achieved.