Green development strategy for efficient quercetin- loaded whey protein complex: Focus on quercetin loading characteristics, component interactions, stability, antioxidant, and in vitro digestive properties

Qingguan Liu; Puying Liu; Qingfeng Ban

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142939

Green development strategy for efficient quercetin- loaded whey protein complex: Focus on quercetin loading characteristics, component interactions, stability, antioxidant, and in vitro digestive properties

Food Chem. 2025 Jan 17:472:142939. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142939. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Qingguan Liu¹, Puying Liu², Qingfeng Ban³

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Technology, Guangdong Ocean University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Processing and Safety, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Marine Food, Guangdong Provincial Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China. Electronic address: liuqingguansdk@163.com.
² College of Food Science and Technology, Guangdong Ocean University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Processing and Safety, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Marine Food, Guangdong Provincial Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China.
³ College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China. Electronic address: qfban@neau.edu.cn.

PMID: 39842208
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142939

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a quercetin-loaded whey protein complex using pH-induced co-assembly for the intestinal-targeted delivery of quercetin. The investigation focused on quercetin loading capacity, formation mechanism, stability, antioxidant activity, and in vitro digestive properties of the complex. The results indicated that the stable complex was obtained at a quercetin-to-protein mass ratio of 1:20, exhibiting a high encapsulation efficiency (96.4 %) and loading capacity (4.6 %). Interaction studies revealed that quercetin binds to whey protein via hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding, forming an irregular layered structure. Stability analysis demonstrated that the complex possesses high ionic and thermal stability. The antioxidant capacity of quercetin was significantly enhanced by complex encapsulation. In vitro digestion studies showed that the complex could pass through the gastrointestinal tract smoothly and effectively improve the bio-accessibility of quercetin. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the application of whey protein-based quercetin delivery systems in the functional food field.

Keywords: Complex; Digestive characteristics; Interaction; Quercetin; Stability analysis; Whey protein.