Polyphenol-enriched berry extracts naturally modulate reactive proteins in model foods

Abstract

Healthy foods like polyphenol-rich berries and high quality edible proteins are in demand in today's functional food marketplace, but it can be difficult to formulate convenient food products with physiologically-relevant amounts of these ingredients and still maintain product quality. In part, this is because proteins can interact with other food ingredients and precipitate destabilizing events, which can disrupt food structure and diminish shelf life. Proteins in foods can also interact with human receptors to provoke adverse consequences such as allergies. When proteins and polyphenols were pre-aggregated into stable colloidal particles prior to use as ingredients, highly palatable food formulations (with reduced astringency of polyphenols) could be prepared, and the overall structural properties of food formulations were significantly improved. All of the nutritive and phytoactive benefits of the proteins and concentrated polyphenols remained highly bioavailable, but the protein molecules in the particle matrix did not self-aggregate into networks or react with other food ingredients. Both the drainage half-life (a marker of structural stability) and the yield stress (resistance to flow) of model foams made with the protein-polyphenol particles were increased in a dose-dependent manner. Of high significance in this complexation process, the reactive allergenic epitopes of certain proteins were effectively blunted by binding with polyphenols, attenuating the allergenicity of the food proteins. Porcine macrophages produced TNF-α proinflammatory cytokine when provoked with whey protein, but, this response was blocked completely when the cells were stimulated with particles that complexed whey protein with cinnamon-derived polyphenols. Cytokine and chemokine production characteristic of allergic reactions were blocked by the polyphenols, allowing for the potential creation of hypoallergenic protein-berry polyphenol enriched foods.

Pea protein isolate characteristics modulate functional properties of pea protein–cranberry polyphenol particles

“…The particles are utilized as ingredient complexes that bind and concentrate fruit‐ and vegetable‐derived polyphenols to healthy edible protein isolates while excluding excess sugar or water from the polyphenol source and mitigating the astringency typically associated with concentrated flavonoids (Grace et al., 2015). These protein–polyphenol particles have been created with diverse protein and polyphenol sources, including commercially available soy, peanut, whey, rice, pea, and hemp proteins complexed with polyphenols from cranberry, blueberry, muscadine and Concord grapes, cinnamon, green tea, kale, and blackcurrant among others (Grace et al., 2013, 2015; Lila et al., 2017; Plundrich et al., 2014; Roopchand, Kuhn, Krueger et al., 2013; Yousef et al., 2014). The presence of polyphenols improves several food functionality traits including reducing protein reactivity that results in beverage gelling or hardening of bar formulations, stabilizing food product macrostructures such as foams, and improving the stability of polyphenols (Foegeding et al., 2017).…”

Encapsulation of Cinnamic Acid on Plant-Based Proteins: Evaluation by HPLC, DSC and FTIR-ATR

“…Another emerging trend is convenience. Consumers' demand simplified meal preparation and consumption as well as healthy snacking options in and outside of their homes [4,[6][7][8]. With this objective, different food ingredients/complexes were prepared based on different types of proteins and phenolics.…”

“…Their low price and high availability make them desirable additives in the food industry. Additionally, protein isolates can be used in the formulation of foods to improve their nutritional value, but they can also possess emulsifying and gel formation properties [6,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

Plant‐based proteins as encapsulating materials for glucosyl‐hesperidin

“…Important sources of plant materials, which are currently used for the isolation of proteins, are legume seeds, corn kernels, soybeans, wheat, quinoa, peas, rice, sunflowers and pumpkin seeds. Protein isolates from mentioned sources are used in the food industry not only for their encapsulating ability but also due to their low price, high availability, nutritional value, emulsifying properties and gel formation properties (Roopchand et al ., 2012; Grace et al ., 2013; Lila et al ., 2017; Martins et al ., 2018; Quiroz et al ., 2020).…”