The Dynamic Gastrointestinal Simulator (simgi®) located at the Institute of Food Science Research (CIAL), is an unique infrastructure that pursues the need for an in vitro simulation of digestion and fermentation food processes in the human gastrointestinal tract, both from a scientific and technique perspectives.
The simgi ® is a computer-controlled multiple-compartment dynamic model, able to simulate continuous and simultaneously the physiological conditions of the human gastrointestinal tract. It includes the stomach compartment, the small intestine compartment and three-stage continuous reactors where the physiological conditions of ascending, transverse and descending colon regions are reproduced. Experimentation in a gastrointestinal simulator like simgi® allows the progress in key areas such as metabolism of nutrients and non-nutrients, bioavailability of bioactive compounds, effect of food matrix, interaction with the intestinal microbiota, probiotic supplementation, etc.
Simgi® has been designed as an in vitro approach for the evaluation of food and functional ingredients, complementary and/or previous to more complex and costly human intervention studies. In addition, it provides researchers and companies with detailed information about food gastrointestinal process, nutrition and health.
For accessing simgi® web page and visualization of the catalogue of services, click here.