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

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Allergenicity Research

Background:

• Functional foods require high-quality proteins and polyphenols, but their interactions can destabilize food structure and reduce shelf life.
• Proteins can also trigger adverse reactions like allergies, limiting their use in food formulations.
• Physiologically relevant levels of these healthy ingredients are challenging to incorporate without compromising product quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the formulation of stable, palatable, and structurally improved food products using pre-aggregated protein-polyphenol particles.
• To assess the bioavailability of nutrients and bioactivity of polyphenols within these particles.
• To evaluate the potential of this complexation method to reduce food protein allergenicity.

Main Methods:

• Proteins and polyphenols were pre-aggregated into stable colloidal particles before incorporation into food formulations.
• Structural properties of model foams (drainage half-life, yield stress) were measured to assess stability.
• In vitro studies using porcine macrophages assessed the impact of protein-polyphenol complexation on inflammatory responses (TNF-α) and allergic reactions.

Main Results:

• Pre-aggregated protein-polyphenol particles significantly improved the palatability and structural properties of food formulations, reducing polyphenol astringency.
• Nutrient and polyphenol bioavailability remained high, and protein molecules within the particle matrix did not self-aggregate or react with other ingredients.
• Particle formation dose-dependently increased foam stability and resistance to flow.
• Complexation effectively blunted reactive allergenic epitopes, significantly reducing the allergenicity of food proteins, as demonstrated by blocked TNF-α production in macrophages.

Conclusions:

• Pre-forming protein-polyphenol colloidal particles is a viable strategy for enhancing the quality and stability of functional foods.
• This method preserves the nutritional and bioactive benefits of proteins and polyphenols while improving food texture and shelf-life.
• Complexation with polyphenols offers a promising approach to developing hypoallergenic protein-enriched foods by mitigating allergic responses.