Important insights into the role of interfacial composition and structure in controlling the digestion of oil-water emulsions have been gained in the last decade. The driving interest relies on: i) the necessity of controlling the digestion of lipids to decrease or delay fat intake to address the obesity crisis existing worldwide and ii) assuring the bioaccessibility of bioactive emulsified lipids or hydrophobic bioactive compounds. This article mainly reviews the relationship between the composition and structure of protein and polysaccharides stabilized emulsions and their susceptibility to in vitro lipolysis. The analysis concentrates on emulsions where (1) proteins or (2) polysaccharides are used as single emulsifiers, (3) emulsions stabilized by protein-polysaccharide conjugates, (4) protein-polysaccharide multilayer emulsions where the primary emulsion is formed by a protein, (5) protein-polysaccharide emulsions where proteins are the main emulsifiers and the polysaccharides perform as stabilizers. The mechanisms involved in the control of the rate and extent of lipolysis are discussed with special attention given to the interactions between emulsions components and bile salts as a critical point for controlling lipids digestion. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.