Gastric emptying and short-term digestibility of thermally oxidized sunflower oil used for frying in fasted and nonfasted rats.

Four-hour in vivo digestibility of sunflower oil used in frying was tested in fasted and nonfasted rats. For three consecutive days, 12 male Wistar rats received 1 g of unused oil (controls, C), while 12 received 1 g of used oil (test group, T). On the night of day 3, 6 rats from each group were fasted (FC, FT) while the other 6 animals from each group had free access to food (NFC, NFT). On day 4, FC and NFC received 2 g of unused oil, while FT and NFT received 2 g of used oil. Luminal gastric and intestinal fats were studied by column and HPSE chromatography after endogenous corrections. Gastric emptying in FT was significantly slower than in NFT and FC. The luminal gastric fat profile differed from that of the oils administered, suggesting that nonoxidized triacylglycerols passed quickly into the intestines. All glyceridic compounds present in the luminal intestinal fat were affected by oil type (at least P < 0.01). Oil digestibility value order was FT < NFT < FC < NFC. FT and NFT presented lower (P < 0.001) triacylglycerol polymer and dimer digestibilities than NFC and FC. In conclusion, oil type determined luminal intestinal fat compounds and their digestibility more than nutritional status.