PH-Dependent interactions between β-casein and blueberry anthocyanins based on typical thermal processing conditions: Stability, structural characterization, and binding mechanisms

Abstract

The color and structural stability of blueberry anthocyanins (BAs) are significantly affected by pH changes during processing. In this study, we present the potential effects of the thermal stability, structural characterization, and binding mechanism of BAs with β-casein (β-CN) at pH 2, 4, and 6 for the first time. The pH was found significantly affect the ability of β-CN to protect BAs from thermal, vitamin C, and sucrose induced degradation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) resolved the microstructural differences of β-CN-BAs at varying pH values. Multispectral analysis showed that as pH increases, the electrostatic interaction between β-CN and the major monomer of anthocyanins Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) are replaced by hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces, and then electrostatic interactions are again the dominant force. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion confirmed that the protein stabilized C3G under varying pH conditions. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy reveals the connection between the multiple equilibrium forms of C3G (hemiketal, cis-chalcone, and trans-chalcone) and β-CN on the formation of complexes between multiple equilibrium forms to specifically elucidate the mechanism of its stabilizing effect. Molecular docking simulation revealed the significance of electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding, where the highest binding match was achieved at pH 2, with a minimum binding energy. These interactions can effectively promote stable complexation of β-CN with C3G. These findings have practical implications for protein regulation of the relationship between the equilibrium forms of different anthocyanins and can guide the stabilization of anthocyanin-rich products.