Digest QX
Introduction
Digest QX is a specialist division of QIB Extra, providing expert in vitro digestion modelling and analytical services for the food, nutrition, and health industries. Based within the state-of-the-art Quadram Institute on the Norwich Research Park, DigestQX translates leading gastrointestinal research into practical solutions that support product development, regulatory compliance, and scientific discovery.
Led by Business Development Director Carmen Nueno-Palop and supported by a team of experienced researchers, DigestQX uses internationally validated static and semi-dynamic digestion models to simulate the complex conditions of the human gastrointestinal tract. This enables precise assessment of nutrient release, bioaccessibility, and the behavior of bioactive compounds during digestion.
The division benefits from scientific oversight by leading experts, including Prof. Pete Wilde and Dr Cathrina Edwards, ensuring a rigorous, research-driven approach tailored to both industry and academic needs.
Services
Digest QX delivers advanced in vitro digestion and food structure analysis services to support research, product development, and regulatory claims across the food and health industries. Using validated models that replicate human gastrointestinal conditions, Digest QX enables detailed, cost-effective investigations into nutrient release, bioaccessibility, and digestive behaviour.
The following two commercial service areas are offered:
Modelling Human Digestion
DigestQX offers scientifically validated in vitro digestion models that replicate the major phases of the human digestive tract—oral, gastric, and intestinal. These models are designed to mimic real-world physiological conditions, allowing researchers to investigate how foods and ingredients behave as they pass through the digestive system. Developed to complement human clinical studies, these models provide detailed insight into when, where, and how nutrients are released, broken down, and made bioaccessible during digestion.
Services under this area include:
- Static and Semi-Dynamic Digestion Modelling: Internationally recognised methods that replicate the physicochemical conditions of the gastrointestinal environment.
- Simulation of Digestion Phases: Individidual or combined modelling of the oral, gastric, and intestinal stages for precise nutrient tracking.
- Mechanistic Digestion Studies: Investigation of digestion behaviour to understand structural breakdown, nutrient release, and transit effects.
- Model Adaptation for Specific Applications: Flexible protocols tailored to research needs, such as testing under fed or fasted conditions, or simulating paediatric, elderly, or clinical digestive conditions.
Evaluating Food Structure, Composition & Function
DigestQX provides in-depth analytical services to assess how the structural and compositional properties of food influence digestion, nutrient release, and overall nutritional performance. By replicating human gastrointestinal conditions, DigestQX enables detailed evaluations of how factors such as processing, formulation, and ingredient interactions affect the bioaccessibility and functionality of nutrients and bioactive compounds.
Key service areas include:
- Food Structure & Physical Properties: Assessment of viscosity, particle size, emulsification, and cellular structure to understand their role in digestion and absorption.
- Nutrient & Bioactive Compound Release: Analysis of starch, lipid, and protein breakdown; phytochemical release; peptide production; and mineral solubility.
- Probiotic & Prebiotic Functionality: Survival tracking of probiotic strains and delivery efficacy of prebiotic compounds across digestive phases.
- Impact of Processing & Storage: Evaluation of how thermal treatments, fermentation, and shelf-life conditions influence nutritional quality and bioavailability.
- Support for Product Development & Health Claims: Mechanistic data to support formulation decisions, reformulation goals, and substantiation of nutrition and health claims.
These services are ideal for companies or researchers seeking to study digestion performance without the cost and complexity of in vivo trials. DigestQX’s modelling services offer a rigorous, reproducible foundation for understanding food function, supporting innovation and regulatory substantiation in the food and health sectors.
To learn more about Digest QX’s in vitro digestion services or to discuss a specific project, enquiries can be directed to the team via:
Email: info@digestqx.com
Website: www.digestqx.com