Sodium caseinate and vitamin A uptake in lab gut cells
What it found
Binding vitamin A to sodium caseinate protected the vitamin during digestion and increased its uptake by lab gut cells.
The highest uptake came from a reassembled form of the protein.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Protection during digestion
Vitamin A broke down in acidic conditions similar to the stomach. Sodium caseinate shielded the vitamin, so more of it survived digestion compared to free vitamin A in oil.
Cell uptake differences
Gut cells took up significantly different amounts of vitamin A depending on which sodium caseinate complex was used. Uptake differed from free vitamin A as well.
Best performing complex
In fortified milk, the reassembled succinylated complex delivered the most vitamin A to gut cells. Free vitamin A delivered the least.
Protein breakdown changes
The way the complexes were built changed how easily the protein was digested. It also changed the types of protein fragments produced during digestion.
Other findings
Why protection worked
Some preparation methods exposed hidden water-repelling spots on the protein. Vitamin A attached inside these spots, making it more stable through digestion.
What the authors conclude
- They found that changing how sodium caseinate binds to vitamin A affects how well the vitamin survives digestion.
- Their results show that reassembled forms of the protein deliver the most vitamin A to gut cells in lab tests.
How it was done
Vitamin A breaks down quickly in stomach acid, so scientists looked for ways to protect it during digestion. They tested whether binding it to sodium caseinate could help.
Researchers made several versions of sodium caseinate bound to vitamin A and put them through simulated stomach digestion. They then measured how much vitamin A was taken up by Caco-2 gut cells in lab dishes. They also tested milk fortified with these complexes.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These tests used lab gut cells, not people. Results in cell dishes may not match what happens in a human body.
- The study measured vitamin A uptake, not long-term health effects of eating sodium caseinate.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- National Dairy Research Institute, India; College of Dairy Technology, India
The paper
- Title
- Effect of sodium caseinate and vitamin A complexation on bioaccessibility and bioavailability of vitamin A in Caco-2 cells
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Rana S, Arora S, Gupta C, Kapila S (2019). Effect of sodium caseinate and vitamin A complexation on bioaccessibility and bioavailability of vitamin A in Caco-2 cells. Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.). doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2019.01.019PubMed 31108825DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error