Abstract
Due to their well-known health benefits, green tea catechins have received recent attention as natural additives in foods such as dairy products. However, they may present some irreversible associations with milk components (e.g. protein and milk fat globules). To investigate the behaviour of two important green tea catechins, (+)-catechin (C) and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), in a standard whole milk system under the conditions of cheesemaking, 250 and 500 ppm of each catechin were added to whole milk (3.3% fat). Although both C and EGCG at either concentration increased both total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity of the subnatants obtained from the milk system, there was a less linear increase when the concentration of the catechins was doubled, whereas C or EGCG were recovered (measured by HPLC) differently. Overall, these results suggest a degree of associations between green tea catechins with milk proteins and milk fat.
Disclosure statement
There is no declaration of interest for this paper.
Funding information
This research was supported by a Doctoral Scholarship from the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, and a grant from the Riddet Institute, Palmerston North, New Zealand.