Feasibility of using a realistic food bolus for semi-dynamic in vitro gastric digestion of hard cheese with pH-stat monitoring of protein hydrolysis

•In vitro boli of cheese were produced with realistic particles’ size distribution.•Semi-dynamic gastric digestion was applied to such boli using pH-stat method.•Degrees of protein hydrolysis (DH) from pH-titration or biochemical analyses were comparable.•In comparison to water, saliva had a limited negative but not significant impact on proteolysis.•Large particles in boli are compatible with the acquisition of reliable DH with pH-stat.