Effect of chitosan and chitosan oligosaccharide on the interaction and in vitro gastric digestive behavior of whey protein isolate

Carbohydrate-protein interactions can improve the properties and texture of proteins. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of pH and preheating to 90 degrees C on the interaction between chitosan (CS)/chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) and whey protein isolate (WPI). Additionally, by simulating in vitro gastric digestion to evaluate the digestive behavior of the CS/COS-WPI complexes when applied to protein-supplemented beverages. The results demonstrated that only CS exhibited greater efficacy in preventing the denaturation and aggregation of WPI caused by heat treatment at pH 4.0. As pH continued to expand to 6.0, changes in the strength of electrostatic interactions and the tertiary structure of proteins influenced the formation of the complex system structure. The in vitro digestion experiments revealed that CS and COS inhibition of WPI digestion in the gastric resulted in an opposite trend with an increasing ratio. We hope that this work will offer promising strategies for developing protein-enrich beverages.

Automated summary

Carbohydrate-protein interactions can improve the properties and texture of proteins. This study investigated the effects of pH and preheating on the interaction between chitosan/chitosan oligosaccharide and whey protein isolate (WPI). It was found that chitosan exhibited greater efficacy in preventing denaturation and aggregation of WPI caused by heat treatment at pH 4.0. Changes in electrostatic interactions and protein structure influenced the formation of the complex system structure as pH expanded. In vitro digestion experiments showed that chitosan and chitosan oligosaccharide had opposite effects on WPI digestion in the gastric.