Interactions between milk fat globules and green tea catechins.

The determination of putative chemical interactions between the milk fat globule membrane and green tea catechins provided useful information about the role of milk fat globules (MFGs) in high-fat dairy systems, such as cheese, and containing bioactive compounds, such as tea catechins. Catechins from green tea (125-1,000 ppm), including (+)-catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, and green tea extract were added to washed MFGs to examine possible interactions. The addition of catechins gave a significant change in the size and ζ-potential of MFGs. The recovery of different catechins from the milk fat globule suspensions was found to vary, suggesting selective association with the milk fat globule membranes. The interactions were further investigated using transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy. It is suggested that catechins are localised in association with milk fat globule membrane domains as they contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties with potential points of molecular interaction.