Heat treatment effect on whey protein-epigallocatechin gallate interaction: A fluorescence spectroscopic analysis

Yu-Qi Song; Ying Zhao; Guanglong Yao; Rong-Shu Dong; Jian Chen

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100917

Heat treatment effect on whey protein-epigallocatechin gallate interaction: A fluorescence spectroscopic analysis

Food Chem X. 2023 Oct 2:20:100917. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100917. eCollection 2023 Dec 30.

Authors

Yu-Qi Song^{1

2}, Ying Zhao³, Guanglong Yao², Rong-Shu Dong¹, Jian Chen²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Grass Research, Institute of Tropical Crop Genetic Resources, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agriculture Sciences, Haikou 571101, China.
² Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Functional Food of Hainan Province, Engineering Research Center of Utilization of Tropical Polysaccharide Resources, Ministry of Education, One Health Institute, College of Food Science and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
³ Hainan Key Laboratory of Biology of Tropical Flowers and Trees Resources, Forestry Institute, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the interaction mechanism of polyphenol protein in a heat-treated aqueous solution system using epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and whey protein (WP) as raw materials. Further, we hypothesized the binding characteristics of these two compounds. The results were as follows: The quenching mechanism between WP and EGCG was characterized as static quenching. As the temperature increased, the binding constant and the binding force between EGCG and WP both increased. The number of binding sites (denoted as n) between WP and EGCG was approximately 1. Hence, WP provided a single site to bind to EGCG to form a complex. The main binding modes between WP and EGCG were hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, and they were spontaneously combined into complexes (ΔG < 0). This study provided a basis for the interaction between WP and EGCG under different heating conditions and their combination mode.

Keywords: Epigallocatechin gallate; Interaction; Quenching mechanism; Whey protein.