Differences in DHA bioaccessibility and fat digestion of DHA-enriched milks: An in vitro infant digestion model

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential for infant neurodevelopment, and milk is an effective vehicle for delivering DHA to infants. However, it remains unclear how different production and processing methods affect the bioavailability of milk study evaluated the bioaccessibility of DHA in different DHA-enriched milks using a simulated infant digestive model. The results showed that naturally DHA-enriched milk and homogenized naturally DHA-enriched milk exhibited higher DHA bioaccessibility (52.06 % and 43.19 %, respectively) compared to algae oil-enriched milk (33.63 %). Naturally DHA-enriched milk also contained a higher proportion of glycerophospholipid-bound DHA, fewer long-chain fatty acids, and more saturated fatty acids adjacent to DHA within the same triglyceride molecule, which likely facilitated DHA digestion and absorption. Homogenization significantly reduced DHA bioaccessibility, possibly by damaging the milk fat globule membranes and affecting lipolysis. These findings provide a scientific basis and novel insights for developing DHA-enriched milk as a nutritional food for infants and young children.