Improving foam performance using colloidal protein–polyphenol complexes: Lactoferrin and tannic acid

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 377; p. 131950
• Main Authors: Dai, Taotao, McClements, David Julian, Hu, Ting, Chen, Jun, He, Xuemei, Liu, Chengmei, Sheng, Jinfeng, Sun, Jian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 30.05.2022
• Subjects: Foam performance; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Interaction; Lactoferrin; Lactoferrin - metabolism; Molecular Docking Simulation; Polyphenols; Tannic acid; Tannins; Tannic acid; Lactoferrin; Foam performance; Interaction
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131950

•Tannic acid changed the conformation and surface hydrophobicity of lactoferrin.•Fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular docking were used to characterize interactions.•The major protein–polyphenol interactions involved were hydrophobic bonds.•Polyphenol binding decreased foam formation, but increased foam stability. In this study, colloidal complexes were prepared from bovine lactoferrin (BLF) and tannic acid (TA) and then their ability to form and stabilize foams was characterized. The molecular interactions between BLF and TA were studied using fluorescence and molecular docking analysis, which suggested that hydrophobic forces were primarily involved in holding the complexes together. The production of colloidal BLF-TA complexes was supported by increases in turbidity and mean particle diameter, quenching of intrinsic fluorescence, decrease in surface hydrophobicity, and change in conformation. When used alone, BLF exhibited good foam formation but poor foam stability properties. In contrast, BLF-TA complexes exhibited good foam stability but poor foamability properties. The change in foaming properties of the proteins was closely related to their interactions with the polyphenols. These findings may be useful for the development of novel functional ingredients to construct food foams with good physicochemical and nutritional attributes.