A combined microphysiological-computational omics approach in dietary protein evaluation

The ever-growing world population puts pressure on food security. To tackle this, waste stream proteins and novel protein sources need to be evaluated for nutritional value, which requires information on digesta peptide composition in comparison to established protein sources and coupling to biological parameters. Here, we present a novel combined experimental and computational approach comparing seventeen protein sources with cow’s whey protein (WPC) as benchmark. In vitro digestion was followed by proteomics analysis and statistical model clustering based on Bayesian Information Criterion. Next, we incorporated functional protein data after evaluating the effects of eighteen protein digests on intestinal barrier integrity, viability, brush border enzyme activity and immune parameters using a bioengineered intestine. Our data show that a holistic approach allows evaluating a dietary protein’s potential for delivery of bioactive peptides, where protein source (animal, plant or novel source-derived) does not seem to be the driving force for clustering. ### Competing Interest Statement JvB, FL, JG are employees at Danone Nutricia Research B.V. * WPC : whey protein concentrate HFM : hollow fiber membranes ZO-1 : zonula occludens-1 ECM : extracellular matrix L-Dopa : L-3,4-di-hydroxy-phenylalanine BIC : Bayesian Information Criterion