Expected satiation alone does not predict actual intake of desserts.

The degree to which consumers expect foods to satisfy hunger, referred to as expected satiation, has been reported to predict food intake. Yet this relationship has not been established precisely, at a quantitative level. We sought to explore this relationship in detail by determining whether expected satiation predicts the actual intake of semi-solid desserts. Two separate experiments were performed: the first used variations of a given food (eight apple purées), while the second involved a panel of different foods within a given category (eight desserts). Both experiments studied the consumption of two products assigned to volunteers based on their individual liking and expected satiation ratings, given ad libitum at the end of a standardised meal. A linear model was used to find predictors of food intake and included expected satiation scores, palatability scores, BMI, age, sex, TFEQ-R, TFEQ-D, water consumption during the meal, reported frequency of eating desserts, and reported frequency of consuming tested products as explanatory variables. Expected satiation was a significant predictor of actual food intake in both experiments (apple purée: F(1,97) = 18.60, P < .001; desserts: F(1,106) = 9.05, P < .01), along with other parameters such as product palatability and the volunteers' age, sex and food restriction (variation explained by the model/expected satiation in the experiments: 57%/23% and 36%/17%, respectively). However, we found a significant gap between expected and actual consumption of desserts, on group and on individual level. Our results confirm the importance of expected satiation as a predictor of subsequent food intake, but highlight the need to study individual consumption behaviour and preferences in order to fully understand the role of expected satiation.

Providing choice and/or variety during a meal: Impact on vegetable liking and intake.

Out-of-home catering services frequently offer consumers the opportunity to choose their foods from among different proposals and/or provide consumers with a variety of food. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of choice and/or variety on food liking and food intake. Fifty-nine normal-weight adults were recruited under the condition that they equally liked three vegetable recipes (green beans with butter, zucchinis with olive oil, spinach with cream). Volunteers participated in four sessions at lunch time. In the no-choice/no-variety condition, volunteers were served one dish randomly selected from among the three. In the no-choice/variety condition, volunteers were served all three dishes. In the choice/no-variety condition, participants chose one dish from among the three dishes. In the choice/variety condition, volunteers chose as many dishes as they desired from among the three dishes. Results showed that providing choice increased vegetable liking and vegetable intake, while offering a variety of vegetables only increased their liking. No synergy effect between choice and variety was observed on vegetable liking and vegetable intake (i.e. the effect in the choice/variety condition was not significantly higher than the effects in no-choice/variety and the choice/no-variety conditions).

The structure of a food product assortment modulates the effect of providing choice on food intake.

Several authors showed that providing choice may increase food liking and food intake. However, the impact of choice may be modulated by assortment's characteristics, such as the number of alternatives or their dissimilarity. The present study compared the impact of choice on food liking and intake under the two following conditions: (1) when choosing a product to consume from among similar products versus dissimilar products; and (2) when choosing a product to consume from among pleasant products versus unpleasant products. Two experiments were carried out using the same design: the "apple puree" experiment (n = 80), where the volunteers choose from among similar products (apple purees varying in texture) and the "dessert" experiment (n = 80), where the volunteers choose from among dissimilar products (fruit dessert, dairy dessert, custard, pudding). During the first session, participants rated their liking for 12 products (apples purees or desserts). Then the participants were divided into a "pleasant" group (n = 40) in which volunteers were assigned three pleasant products, and an "unpleasant" group (n = 40) in which volunteers were assigned three unpleasant products. Finally, all of the volunteers participated in a choice session - volunteers were presented with their three assigned products and asked to choose one of the products, and a no-choice session - volunteers were served with one product that was randomly selected from among their three assigned products. Providing choice led to an increase in food liking in both experiments and an increase in food intake only for the desserts, namely only when the volunteers chose the product to consume from among "not too similar" alternatives. No effect of assortment's pleasantness was observed.

High True Ileal Digestibility but Not Postprandial Utilization of Nitrogen from Bovine Meat Protein in Humans Is Moderately Decreased by High-Temperature, Long-Duration Cooking.

BACKGROUND: Meat protein digestibility can be impaired because of indigestible protein aggregates that form during cooking. When the aggregates are subsequently fermented by the microbiota, they can generate potentially harmful compounds for the colonic mucosa. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the quantity of bovine meat protein escaping digestion in the human small intestine and the metabolic fate of exogenous nitrogen, depending on cooking processes. METHODS: Sixteen volunteers (5 women and 11 men; aged 28 ± 8 y) were equipped with a double lumen intestinal tube positioned at the ileal level. They received a test meal exclusively composed of 120 g of intrinsically (15)N-labeled bovine meat, cooked either at 55°C for 5 min (n = 8) or at 90°C for 30 min (n = 8). Ileal effluents and blood and urine samples were collected over an 8-h period after the meal ingestion, and (15)N enrichments were measured to assess the digestibility of meat proteins and the transfer of dietary nitrogen into the metabolic pools. RESULTS: Proteins tended to be less digestible for the meat cooked at 90°C for 30 min than at 55°C for 5 min (90.1% ± 2.1% vs. 94.1% ± 0.7% of ingested N; P = 0.08). However, the particle number and size in ileal digesta did not differ between groups. The appearance of variable amounts of intact fibers was observed by microscopy. The kinetics of (15)N appearance in plasma proteins, amino acids, and urea were similar between groups. The amount of exogenous nitrogen lost through deamination did not differ between groups (21.2% ± 0.8% of ingested N). CONCLUSIONS: Cooking bovine meat at a high temperature for a long time can moderately decrease protein digestibility compared with cooking at a lower temperature for a short time and does not affect postprandial exogenous protein metabolism in young adults. The study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01685307.

Enrichment of pasta with faba bean does not impact glycemic or insulin response but can enhance satiety feeling and digestive comfort when dried at very high temperature.

Enrichment of durum wheat pasta with legume flour enhances their protein and essential amino acid content, especially lysine content. However, despite its nutritional potential, the addition of a legume alters the rheological properties of pasta. High temperature drying of pasta reduces this negative effect by strengthening its protein network. The aim of our study was to determine if these changes in the pasta structure alter its in vitro carbohydrate digestibility, in vivo glycemic, insulin and satiety responses. We also investigated if high temperature drying of pasta can reduce the well-known digestive discomfort associated with the consumption of legume grains. Fifteen healthy volunteers consumed three test meals: durum wheat pasta dried at a low temperature (control), and pasta enriched with 35% faba bean dried at a low and at a very high temperature. When enriched with 35% legume flour, pasta maintained its nutritionally valuable low glycemic and insulin index, despite its weaker protein network. Drying 35% faba bean pasta at a high temperature strengthened its protein network, and decreased its in vitro carbohydrate digestion with no further decrease in its in vivo glycemic or insulin index. Drying pasta at a very high temperature reduced digestive discomfort and enhanced self-reported satiety, and was not associated with a modification of energy intake in the following meal.

Assimilation and contrast are on the same scale of food anticipated-experienced pleasure divergence.

Consumption of a product is preceded by an anticipation of its qualities by the consumer, which can itself modify the consumption experience. Improved knowledge of anticipation would allow better manipulation of it, for example to enhance the acceptance of healthier foods. According to the Assimilation-Contrast theory, the size of anticipation-reality divergence determines how anticipation influences consumers' satisfaction. For small divergences, experienced pleasure is the same as the anticipated pleasure (Assimilation); for large ones, the effect of surprise provokes an even larger discordance with that which was anticipated (Contrast). Few studies have attempted to observe both effects simultaneously, or to consider the anticipation-reality divergence quantitatively rather than qualitatively; these were the study's objectives. A range of 10 flavored drinks was developed to vary progressively in intensity. Ninety healthy young men consumed samples during two separate sessions. In session 1, hedonic and sensory scores of all drinks were recorded during blind tasting. In session 2, three drinks were chosen as references for taste intensity, and associated with neutral symbols that served as labels. Subjects then consumed 36 drink samples, each one bearing a label. For half of the samples drinks did not correspond to labels, creating a range of anticipation-reality divergence. By predicting session 2 scores using linear modeling with session 1 blind ratings as input, it was confirmed that both Assimilation and Contrast effects on hedonic ratings were present (Assimilation (t(89) = 5.645, p < 0.0001) and Contrast (t(89) = 3.186, p = 0.002 or t(89) = 2.494, p = 0.015, depending on the drink-label combination)). This study was the first to position Assimilation and Contrast within a quantitative context using controlled divergence variation rather than products from distinct categories.

The satiating effects of eggs or cottage cheese are similar in healthy subjects despite differences in postprandial kinetics.

Studies have reported a better satiating effect of eggs when compared with common cereal-based breakfasts, an effect that can be attributed to their macronutrient composition. Our aim was to compare the satiating power of an omelette and cottage cheese, both being common food snacks with similar nutrient compositions (containing proteins and lipids) but in different food forms. Thirty healthy volunteers participated in a randomized crossover trial. On each test day, the subjects consumed one of the two snacks, both providing 1346 kJ, 26 g protein, 21 g lipids, and 8 g lactose. The elapsed time between the snack and lunch request, their food intake at lunch, and their satiety scores were recorded. In a subgroup of 10 volunteers, blood was sampled to measure plasma metabolites and hormones. The two preloads were similar in terms of the time between the snack and a request for the buffet (167 ± 8 min), energy intake at the buffet (3988 ± 180 kJ) and appetite ratings. Plasma amino acid and urea concentrations indicated a marked delay in kinetic delivery after the eggs compared with the cottage cheese. In contrast, glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol displayed similar profiles after the snack. GIP and insulin secretions increased significantly after the cottage cheese, while glucagon and GLP-1 secretions were delayed with the omelette. We conclude that despite important differences in protein kinetics and their subsequent effects on hormone secretion, eggs and cottage cheese had a similar satiating power. This strongly suggests that with dose of proteins that is compatible to supplement strategies, i.e. 20-30 g, a modulation of protein kinetics is ineffective in increasing satiety.

Milk protein fractions moderately extend the duration of satiety compared with carbohydrates independently of their digestive kinetics in overweight subjects.

Digestive kinetics are believed to modulate satiety through the modulation of nutrient delivery. We hypothesised that the duration of satiety could be extended by modulating the kinetics of dietary amino acid delivery in overweight subjects, using snacks containing casein and whey protein. In the present study, eighty-two subjects underwent a first satiety test where they received a control snack containing 60 g maltodextrin. For the next 5 d, the subjects consumed a liquid protein snack containing 30 g carbohydrates and 30 g proteins (casein, whey protein or an equal mix of the two; n 26-28 per group). The subjects then underwent a second satiety test after ingesting the protein snack. The time period elapsing between the snack and request for lunch, food intake at lunch and satiety scores were recorded. A subgroup of twenty-four subjects underwent a digestive and metabolic investigation after ingesting their protein snack. Gastric emptying times were 2·5, 4 and 6 h for whey protein, mix and casein, respectively, displaying different kinetics of appearance of dietary N in plasma but without affecting pancreatic and gastrointestinal hormones. Compared with the control snack, proteins extended the duration of satiety (+17 min, P= 0·02), with no difference between the protein groups. The satiating effect of proteins was greater in subjects who ate their lunch early after the snack (below the median value, i.e. 2 h) at the control test (+32 min, P= 0·001). Energy intake at lunch was not modulated by proteins. The satiating effect of proteins is efficient in overweight subjects, especially when the duration of satiety is short, but independently of their digestive and plasma amino acid kinetics.

Sequential release of milk protein-derived bioactive peptides in the jejunum in healthy humans.

BACKGROUND: The digestive hydrolysis of dietary proteins leads to the release of peptides in the intestinal tract, where they may exert a variety of functions, but their characterization and quantification are difficult. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to characterize and determine kinetics of the formation of peptides present in the jejunum of humans who ingested casein or whey proteins by using mass spectrometry and to look for and quantify bioactive peptides. DESIGN: Subjects were equipped with a double-lumen nasogastric tube that migrated to the proximal jejunum. A sample collection was performed for 6 h after the ingestion of 30 g (15)N-labeled casein (n = 7) or whey proteins (WPs; n = 6). Nitrogen flow rates were measured, and peptides were identified by using mass spectrometry. RESULTS: After casein ingestion, medium-size peptides (750-1050 kDa) were released during 6 h, whereas larger peptides (1050-1800 kDa) were released from WPs in the first 3 h. A total of 356 and 146 peptides were detected and sequenced in the jejunum after casein and WP ingestion, respectively. ß-casein was the most important precursor of peptides, including bioactive peptides with various activities. The amounts of ß-casomorphins (ß-casein 57-, 58-, 59-, and 60-66) and ß-casein 108-113 released on the postprandial window were sufficient to elicit the biological action of these peptides (ie, opioid and antihypertensive, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Clear evidence is shown of the presence of bioactive peptides in the jejunum of healthy humans who ingested casein. Our findings raise the question about the physiologic conditions under which these peptides can express their bioactivity in humans. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00862329.

Characterization of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire scores of a young French cohort.

The aims of our study were to characterize the psychological dimensions of eating behaviour of young French adults as measured by the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) and to analyze the association between the 3 TFEQ mean scores (main scales and subscales) and gender, Body Mass Index (BMI) and socio-demographic data in this population. An online TFEQ questionnaire was used with a nationally representative sample of 1000 young French people (aged 20-39yrs). The average scores were 6.3±0.1 (sem) for dietary restraint, 6.0±0.1 for disinhibition and 5.0±0.1 for hunger. Compared to the limit commonly used in human food studies, young French adults were characterized by low restraint and low disinhibition levels. There was a significant gender effect on both restraint and disinhibition scores, with women showing significantly higher scores than men. Concerning the link between TFEQ scores and BMI, there was a significant effect of the BMI category on cognitive restraint, disinhibition and hunger. Disinhibition was the factor most strongly associated to BMI, independently of gender. Our results highlight both the importance of taking into account not only disinhibition but also cognitive restraint and the usefulness of subscales when studying eating behaviour and its link to body weight. We characterize the eating behaviour of a French cohort with criteria often chosen for healthy volunteers in human food studies. Consequently, we suggest new TFEQ limits (6 for cognitive restraint and disinhibition, 5 for hunger) lower than those traditionally used for this category of the population in clinical food studies.

Peripheral and central mechanisms involved in the control of food intake by dietary amino acids and proteins.

The present review summarises current knowledge and recent findings on the modulation of appetite by dietary protein, via both peripheral and central mechanisms. Of the three macronutrients, proteins are recognised as the strongest inhibitor of food intake. The well-recognised poor palatability of proteins is not the principal mechanism explaining the decrease in high-protein (HP) diet intake. Consumption of a HP diet does not induce conditioned food aversion, but rather experience-enhanced satiety. Amino acid consumption is detected by multiple and redundant mechanisms originating from visceral (during digestion) and metabolic (inter-prandial period) sources, recorded both directly and indirectly (mainly vagus-mediated) by the central nervous system (CNS). Peripherally, the satiating effect of dietary proteins appears to be mediated by anorexigenic gut peptides, principally cholecystokinin, glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY. In the CNS, HP diets trigger the activation of noradrenergic and adrenergic neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract and melanocortin neurons in the arcuate nucleus. Additionally, there is evidence that circulating leucine levels may modulate food intake. Leucine is associated with neural mechanisms involving mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), energy sensors active in the control of energy intake, at least in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. In addition, HP diets inhibit the activation of opioid and GABAergic neurons in the nucleus accumbens, and thus inhibit food intake by reducing the hedonic response to food, presumably because of their low palatability. Future studies should concentrate on studying the adaptation of different neural circuits following the ingestion of protein diets.

The satiety effect of disguised liquid preloads administered acutely and differing only in their nutrient content tended to be weaker for lipids but did not differ between proteins and carbohydrates in human subjects.

Whether protein is the macronutrient with the strongest satiety effect remains a matter of debate because of the diversity of study designs employed. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of different liquid preloads made up of proteins, fats or carbohydrates only, under stringently controlled conditions, on satiety. Fifty-six subjects participated in the present study which consisted of four randomised test days, i.e. 1 d per macronutrient and one control day. During each test day, the subjects were required to consume the preload in full, and then their subsequent food intake was measured. The volunteers were divided into two groups: the first (T0) group, which consumed the preload immediately before lunch, and the second (T1) group, which consumed it 1 h beforehand. The main results showed that the participants consumed significantly less at lunch following the consumption of all three preloads than on the no-preload day, and consumed less after the consumption of the carbohydrate preload than after the consumption of the lipid preload. When energy from the preload was included, overall energy intake was significantly greater in all the three preload conditions than in the situation involving no preload, with only partial compensation for preload energy in all conditions. Total daily energy intake was highest after the lipid preload ingestion, but this could be a chance finding since it was not significantly higher than that observed after protein or carbohydrate preload ingestion. No significant effects of the interval between the preload and test meal ingestion were found. These results do not confirm the greater satiety effect of proteins than of carbohydrates, but partially confirm the weaker effect of fats.

Effects of galacto-oligosaccharide ingestion on the mucosa-associated mucins and sucrase activity in the small intestine of mice.

BACKGROUND: Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are non-digestible oligosaccharides with short galactosyl chain units produced by lactose fermentation which are considered as prebiotics. Only few studies have investigated the effects of GOS medium-term ingestion on the small intestinal epithelium characteristics. AIM OF THE STUDY: In this study, we evaluated the consequences of GOS ingestion on small intestinal mucosal morphology, on brush-border membrane enzyme activities and on mucin content in BALB/c mice. METHODS: Mice received the experimental diets for 4 weeks and then the small intestine was collected to measure sucrase, lactase and alkaline phosphatase activities, to study the villus heights in the jejunum mucosa and to determine mucosal mucin content as well as MUC-2 and MUC-4 mRNAs expression by qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Our results showed that GOS has no detectable effect on the intestine villus height but increased the total protein content by twofold. Sucrase activity was significantly increased in the intestinal mucosa recovered from animals fed the GOS diet without any detectable modification of lactase and phosphatase activities. Interestingly, GOS was also able to increase sucrase activity in cultured Caco-2 cells raising the view that they likely act directly on these cells. Furthermore, GOS was found to markedly increase O-linked glycoproteins associated with the intestinal mucosa without modifying MUC-2, MUC-4 mRNAs expression. Lastly, TNF-alpha mRNA expression was also not modified after GOS ingestion. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that, in BALB/c mice, 4-week GOS ingestion is able to increase the small intestinal mucosa-associated mucin content and enterocyte-associated sucrase activity without modifying villus height.

A high-protein, moderate-energy, regular cheesy snack is energetically compensated in human subjects.

Snacking is often regarded as a cause of overweight. However, the main issue is to determine whether the consumption of snacks leads to an increase in energy intake or whether a compensation phenomenon exists and maintains daily energy intake at a constant level. The objective of the present study was to determine whether the repeated consumption of a high-protein, moderate-energy, cheesy snack given as a preload 1 h before a meal altered energy intake at the next meal and then throughout the day, and if this kind of snack was energetically compensated. Normal-weight women (n 27) were recruited for the study. All subjects were healthy non-smokers, aged 18-60 years. The snacks consisted of portions of cheese containing 22 g protein, with an energy value of 836 kJ. Two types of snack were compared, differing in terms of the type of milk proteins they contained: the first contained casein only (CAS), while the second contained a mixture of casein and whey proteins (WHEY+CAS; 2:1). The principal finding of the present study was that the ingestion of the two snacks 1 h before lunch led to energy compensation of 83.1 (SEM 9.4) and 67.0 (SEM 16.4) % for WHEY+CAS and CAS respectively, at lunch, and 121.6 (SEM 36.5) and 142.1 (SEM 29.7) % for WHEY+CAS and CAS respectively, regarding the whole-day energy intake. In conclusion, the repeated consumption of a high-protein, moderate-energy, regular cheesy snack should not promote overweight because energy intake appears to be regulated during subsequent meals on the same day.

Chlorogenic acid is poorly absorbed, independently of the food matrix: A Caco-2 cells and rat chronic absorption study.

According to epidemiologic studies, dietary phenolic antioxidants, such as chlorogenic acid (CQA), could prevent coronary heart diseases and some cancers. Coffee is the main source of CQA in the human diet. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of usual coffee consumption conditions, such as the addition of milk, on CQA bioavailability. Interactions between CQA and milk proteins were shown, using an ultrafiltration technique. These interactions proved to be slightly disrupted during an in vitro digestion process. CQA absorption and bioavailability were then studied in vitro using a Caco-2 cell model coupled with an in vitro digestion process, and in vivo, in a chronic supplementation study in which rats were fed daily coffee or coffee and milk for 3 weeks. Both experiments showed that CQA absorption under its native form is weak, but unmodified by the addition of milk proteins, and slightly reduced by the addition of Maillard reaction products. These data show that there are some interactions between coffee phenolics and milk proteins, but these have no significant effect on CQA bioavailability from coffee in the rat. CQA is poorly absorbed under its native form in the body, when ingested in a realistic food matrix.

Increasing the protein content in a carbohydrate-free diet enhances fat loss during 35% but not 75% energy restriction in rats.

The purpose of the present study was to test the influence of the amount of protein in a carbohydrate-free diet during a weight reducing program using severe (75%) or more moderate (35%) energy restriction in rats. In Expt. 1, 3 groups (n = 6) consumed ad libitum a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet [P21C69L10 containing 21% of energy as protein (P21), 69% carbohydrate (C69) and 10% lipids (L10)], a high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet (P21C34L45), or a carbohydrate-free, high-fat, high-protein diet (P55L45). In Expt. 2, 7 groups (n = 7) were studied. For 20 d, groups 1-4 consumed ad libitum diets containing macronutrients at the proportions indicated in their designations [P14C56L30 (control diet), P30L70, P50L50, and P90L10]. Groups 5-7 were pair-fed the same diets at the level of the spontaneous intake of the P90L10 group on the previous day (35% energy restriction). In Expt. 3, 5 groups (n = 7) were fed 1 of the following diets for 20 d. Group 1 consumed the control diet (P14C56L30) ad libitum. Groups 2-5 were energy restricted to 25% of the daily energy intake of group 1 with diets varying in their protein and lipid concentrations (P14C56L30, P50L50, P70L30, and P90L10). A high-fat content in the diet devoid of carbohydrate did not increase energy intake and body adiposity and neither body weight nor body composition was significantly affected by the protein to lipid ratio when energy restriction was 75%; however, a protein content > 50% preserved lean body mass at the expense of fat mass when energy restriction was 35%. Our results show that the absence of carbohydrates from the diet induces a low energy intake and the preferential deposition of protein.

Bound ferulic acid from bran is more bioavailable than the free compound in rat.

Ferulic acid (FA) is reported as a good antioxidant absorbed by human or rat but only few data deal with the influence of the food matrix on its bioavailability and with its potential protection against cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Wheat bran is used as a source of ferulic acid, the compound being mainly bound to arabinoxylans of the plant cell walls. Pharmacokinetic profiles of FA and its metabolites are established in rats. Free and conjugated FA quickly appear in plasma, reach a plateau 1 h after intake and remain approximately constant at 1 microM up to 24 h. 2.3% of FA are eliminated in urine. Compared with results obtained after intake of free FA, the presence of FA-arabinoxylans bonds in the food matrix increases the occurrence time of FA in the organism and decreases the level of urinary excretion in 24 h. Nevertheless, sulfated FA is still the main plasmatic form. The antioxidant activity of plasmas of rats fed with a standard diet (containing no FA), pure ferulic acid (5.15 mg FA/kg bw) or bran (4.04 mg FA/kg bw) are measured in an ex vivo test using AAPH as free radical inducer. Plasmas of rats fed with bran show a better antioxidant activity than the control group and the pure FA supplemented group, increasing the resistance of erythrocytes to hemolysis by factors of 2 and 1.5, respectively. These results show the good bioavailability of FA from bran and its potential efficiency to protect organism against pathology involving radical steps of development.

Sulfated ferulic acid is the main in vivo metabolite found after short-term ingestion of free ferulic acid in rats.

The bioavailability of ferulic acid (FA; 3-methoxy-4-hydroxycinnamic acid) and its metabolites was investigated in rat plasma and urine after an oral short-term ingestion of 5.15 mg/kg of FA. Free FA, glucuronoconjugates, and sulfoconjugates were quickly detected in plasma with a peak of concentration found 30 min after ingestion. Sulfoconjugates were the main derivates ( approximately 50%). In urine, the cumulative excretion of total metabolites reached a plateau 1.5 h after ingestion, and approximately 40% were excreted by this way. Free FA recovered in urine represented only 4.9 +/-1.5% of the native FA consumed by rats. Glucuronoconjugates and sulfoconjugates represented 0.5 +/- 0.3 and 32.7 +/- 7.3%, respectively. These results suggested that a part of FA incorporated in the diet was quickly absorbed and largely metabolized in sulfoconjugates before excretion in urine.