Cellulose: structure and beneficial functions in the human digestive tract
Cellulose is one of the most abundant biopolymers in nature, playing a crucial role in the structural integrity of most plant cell walls, due to its unique structural arrangement. In its native form, cellulose presents a complex hierarchical architecture composed of several structural levels, from t...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | otro |
| Estado: | Versión aceptada para publicación |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/399865 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/399865 |
| Access Level: | acceso embargado |
| Palabra clave: | Cellulose Gastrointestinal digestion Polysaccharides Digestibility Dietary fibres Food products |
| Sumario: | Cellulose is one of the most abundant biopolymers in nature, playing a crucial role in the structural integrity of most plant cell walls, due to its unique structural arrangement. In its native form, cellulose presents a complex hierarchical architecture composed of several structural levels, from the individual crystalline domains known as cellulose nanocrystals to fibrillar structures, where cellulose interacts with other polysaccharides to form the cell walls. As a result, both its extraction and purification are challenging, making chemical treatments the most effective methodology in terms of time, effectiveness, and cost-efficiency. One of the main applications of cellulose is as a reinforcing agent to improve the functional properties of biopolymeric matrices in sustainable bio-based packaging materials, forming different types of structures such as films, trays and aerogels. On the other hand, given their rheological properties and high water-holding capacity, cellulose fibrils find many applications as texture modifiers in the food additives sector. Since cellulose is not hydrolyzed by digestive enzymes, its incorporation into food products does not increase the caloric content. However, the presence of cellulose in the gastrointestinal tract will impact the digestibility of macronutrients through different mechanisms: (1) increasing in the viscosity of the gastrointestinal fluids, (2) interacting with the food components, and/or (3) interacting with digestive components such as bile salts and enzymes. The effect of cellulose on the gastrointestinal digestion process generates different metabolic responses leading to health benefits such as suppressing postprandial serum glucose, reducing serum cholesterol levels, decreasing protein digestibility, improving satiety and preventing obesity. |
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