Pang Lidong, Chen Chen, Li Shihang, Shi Jia, Su Yue, Yang Xinyan, Jiang Yujun
Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China; Key Laboratory of Infant Formula Food, State Administration for Market Regulation, Harbin 150030, China.
Food Res Int. 2025 Nov;219:117023. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117023. Epub 2025 Jul 25.
Whey protein isolate (WPI) is an important food ingredient, but its high allergenicity limit its application. Recently, metal-phenolic networks (MPNs) have been shown to be effective in modifying proteins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of MPNs formed from (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and Fe on the structure, antibody-binding capacity, and functional properties of WPI. The results showed that MPN modification significantly reduced the antibody-binding capacity of WPI with immunoglobulin E and IgG binding reduced by 76.40 % and 84.74 %, respectively. Multispectroscopy and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses suggest that this reduction is due to the destruction of conformational epitopes and the masking of linear epitopes by MPNs. Additionally, the introduction of phenolic hydroxyl groups through MPN modification led to conformational unfolding of WPI and reduced surface hydrophobicity, thereby enhancing its antioxidant activity, hypoglycemic ability, and foaming properties. These improvements were more pronounced at higher doses. Specifically, at a dosage of 96 mM, the total antioxidant capacity is 44.01 % and the foaming properties are 104 %. This study provides new insights into the modification of WPI and offers a promising strategy for developing hypoallergenic foods products.
乳清分离蛋白（WPI）是一种重要的食品成分，但其高致敏性限制了其应用。最近，金属-酚网络（MPNs）已被证明在修饰蛋白质方面有效。本研究的目的是评估由（-）-表没食子儿茶素-3-没食子酸酯（EGCG）和铁形成的MPNs对WPI的结构、抗体结合能力和功能特性的影响。结果表明，MPN修饰显著降低了WPI与免疫球蛋白E的抗体结合能力，IgG结合分别降低了76.40%和84.74%。多光谱和液相色谱-串联质谱分析表明，这种降低是由于MPNs破坏了构象表位并掩盖了线性表位。此外，通过MPN修饰引入酚羟基导致WPI构象展开并降低表面疏水性，从而增强其抗氧化活性、降血糖能力和起泡性能。这些改善在较高剂量时更为明显。具体而言，在96 mM的剂量下，总抗氧化能力为44.01%，起泡性能为104%。本研究为WPI的修饰提供了新的见解，并为开发低过敏性食品提供了一种有前景的策略。
