A Comprehensive Review on the Interaction of Milk Protein Concentrates with Plant-Based Polyphenolics

Abstract

Functional properties and biological activities of plant-derived polyphenolic compounds have gained great interest due to their epidemiologically proven health benefits and diverse industrial applications in the food and pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, the food processing conditions and certain chemical reactions such as pigmentation, acylation, hydroxylation, and glycosylation can also cause alteration in the stability, antioxidant activity, and structural characteristics of the polyphenolic compounds. Since the (poly)phenols are highly reactive, to overcome these problems, the formulation of a complex of polyphenolic compounds with natural biopolymers is an effective approach. Besides, to increase the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of polyphenolic compounds, milk proteins such as whey protein concentrate, sodium caseinate, and milk protein concentrate act as natural vehicles, due to their specific structural and functional properties with high nutritional value. Therefore, milk proteins are suitable for the delivery of polyphenols to parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, this review reports on types of (poly)phenols, methods for the analysis of binding interactions between (poly)phenols–milk proteins, and structural changes that occur during the interaction.

Bioaccessibility and antioxidant capacity of kefir‐based smoothies fortified with kale and spinach after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion

“…Furthermore, various mechanisms between milk proteins (casein and whey proteins) and polyphenolic components such as hydrogen bonds, ionic, hydrophobic interactions, and van der Waals forces can result in lower TAC and TPC values of smoothies with vegetables during acidic conditions of gastric digestion (Ozdal et al., 2013 ; van de Langerijt et al., 2023 ; Yildirim‐Elikoglu & Erdem, 2018 ). Especially, hydrogen and/or covalent bindings can be formed between polar groups of casein such as an amino group of lysine and a carboxylic acid group of aspartic and glutamic acids and polar groups of antioxidant compounds (Tosif et al., 2021 ). It was thought that the interactions between the dissolved kefir components and metabolites formed by the starter culture may have caused the loss of copper‐reducing activity, specifically, low CUPRAC values at the gastric stage.…”

“…As mentioned above, the highest bioaccessibility indices of control may be associated with several factors related to (i) the release of bioactive peptides with antioxidative properties from kefir, (ii) the effect of starter microorganisms, (iii) the formed structural changes such as degradation and deglycosylation in nutritional components, (iv) reversible and/or irreversible complexes between polyphenols of vegetables and kefir components (protein, lipids, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals), (v) enzyme activity, temperature, and pH changes in model system, and (vi) structural and biological changes in polyphenols as a result of chemical, oxidative, polymeric, and enzymatic reactions occurring during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Some researchers pointed out that bioaccessibility indices of plant‐fortified dairy products demonstrated an increase and/or decrease based on the individual phenolics such as flavonols, catechins, and gallic acids, lipophilic and/or hydrophilic attributes, fiber content, and the protocols used in assays (Helal et al., 2022 ; Kostić et al., 2021 ; Milinčić et al., 2022 ; Papierska et al., 2022 ; Tosif et al., 2021 ).…”

“…The bioaccessibility index was calculated using the values identified initially and after the gastric and intestinal digestion. It was revealed that there emerged significant differences (p < .05) among the bioaccessibility indexes of the samples ( tocols used in assays (Helal et al, 2022;Kostić et al, 2021;Milinčić et al, 2022;Papierska et al, 2022;Tosif et al, 2021).…”

Whey Protein Sodium-Caseinate as a Deliverable Vector for Tea Catechins: In vitro Optimization of Its Bioaccessibility, Bioavailability, and Bioactivity Mode of Actions

“…Whey proteins have recognized potential as emulsifiers and carriers of bioactive compounds [11,12]. Caseins also possess binding capacities for polyphenols like EGCG [13]. Thus, using WPI-NaCas under certain circumstances might increase the bioaccessibility of EGCG.…”

Reducing the Flocculation of Milk Tea Using Different Stabilizers to Regulate Tea Proteins

“…During its preparation, due to the interaction of tea polyphenols with proteins, compounds can easily flocculate and precipitate [ 4 ]. Even solid milk tea flocculates and forms polyphenol–protein complexes after long-term storage [ 5 , 6 ]. The interaction of small polyphenols with protein mainly occurs on proline and arginine residues of the peptide chain.…”