Whey as a Carrier Material for Blueberry Bioactive Components: Incorporation in White Chocolate

Abstract

White chocolate is considered an unhealthier product than dark and milk chocolate due to the absence of cocoa solids containing polyphenols and other valuable components such as minerals and dietary fiber. This paper aimed to improve the nutritional value of white chocolate (C) by adding blueberry bioactive compounds. Since natural polyphenols are easily degradable because of their sensitivity, whey, as a rich source of proteins, was used as a material for encapsulating blueberry juice. Whey proteins protect blueberry anthocyanins and increase their bioaccessibility in the human body. Blueberry juice encapsulates (B) were added to white chocolate, replacing 8% (C-B8) and 10% (C-B10) of white chocolate mass. Blueberry encapsulates significantly (p < 0.05) increased the viscosity of chocolates (from 0.63 Pa·s in C to 1.13 Pa·s in C-B8 and 1.40 Pa·s in C-B10) with no significant impact on their melting peak. Both enriched chocolates had significantly (p < 0.05) higher protein and dietary fiber content and lower fat content than white chocolate. The total polyphenol content increased 3.7-fold, while antioxidant capacity increased 5.2-fold in C-B10. The oxidation stability, determined by pressurized accelerated oxidation, was also improved in enriched chocolates. Blueberry juice encapsulated in whey positively influenced the color and sensory characteristics of fortified white chocolates, where C-B10 had higher sensory scores for blueberry odor and taste than C-B8. The obtained results open up a possible pathway and indicate opportunities and limitations for the incorporation of other materials, such as various dietary/fruit components, in white chocolate.

The Effects of Oil Content on the Structural and Textural Properties of Cottonseed Butter/Spread Products

“…In the six cottonseed butter products, the oxidation stability steadily was gradually reduced from 250 min with 36% oil to 65 min with 57% oil, indicating the oil ingredient was the key component of rancidity of these butter products. Using the same type of measurements, Jovanović et al [58] reported oxidation stability of white chocolate products with an oxidation induction time as long as 680 min due to increasing polyphenol contents. To calculate the shelf life per the oxidation stability, we further measured the oxidation induction time of B50 at 100, 120, and 140 • C. A linear equation ln(t[min]) = 8400.00 K/T-17.00 was drawn per the produced data.…”

“…The oxidation stability was measured by an Anton Paar RapidOxy 100 m. The meter accelerates the oxidation process by using increased temperature and oxygen pressure [57,58]. The induction period, which is the total time between the heating of the test chamber until the 10% pressure drop, can be used as a measure of the oxidative stability of the sample (Figure 5).…”

Emerging Trends in Bioavailability and Pharma-Nutraceutical Potential of Whey Bioactives

“…As opposed to the control group (iron overload), rats fed a whey protein diet showed greater blood levels of glutathione. This revealed that whey proteins may be able to change the DNA damage caused by elevated iron levels and lessen ROS in cells [ 60 ]. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the recognized microorganisms that cause pulmonary infection and lung colonization, which lead to breathing problems [ 61 ].…”

Blueberry juice encapsulated on maltodextrin: The impact on the properties of white chocolate

“…In opposition to our previous study (Jovanović et al, 2022), which regarded to encapsulation of blueberry juice on whey as a carrier and its possible use as a functional ingredient in chocolates, this study deals with the encapsulation of blueberry juice on maltodextrin as a carrier and its impact on physical, chemical and sensory properties of white chocolate including its potential use as a functional ingredient.…”

“…As mentioned before, white chocolate does not contain dark cocoa solid particles, which are carriers of high amounts of phenolic compounds, making this product suitable for the enrichment and production of white chocolate with higher nutritional value. At this moment, there are some functional chocolates on the market that are enriched with cinnamon particles (Muhammad, Saputro, Rottiers, Van de Walle & Dewettinck, 2018), whey protein (Jovanović et al, 2022), probiotics (Hossain, Ranadheera, Fang & Ajlouni, 2020), green tea O N L I N E F I R S T extract (Lončarević et al, 2019), etc. In our previous research (Lončarević et al, 2018;Lončarević et al, 2019), green tea extract and blackberry juice were encapsulated using maltodextrin as a carrier and added to white chocolate.…”