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Phospholipid

Session:: General Phospholipids

Exploring the composition, bioactive components and cognitive effects of whey protein phospholipid concentrate

Monday, May 1, 2023
2:30 PM – 2:50 PM MDT
Room: 403
Abstract: Whey protein phospholipid concentrate (WPPC) is a coproduct of whey protein isolate and is currently underutilized by the dairy industry. The gross composition of WPPC is known; however, a detailed characterization, bioactivity and functionality of WPPC remain to be conducted. In this exploratory project, we conducted a comprehensive chemical analysis of WPPC and found that phospholipids accounted for 20% of total lipids. An average milk fat globule diameter of 2.64±0.01µm was found in liquid WPPC, compared to 4.78±0.13µm in bovine milk, which likely explains the higher presence of phospholipids in conjunction with glycosylated membrane-bound proteins including milk fat globule membrane proteins, representing 23% of the total protein. Xanthine oxidase was selected as a marker of milk fat globule bioactivity and displayed 3X higher antimicrobial activity in WPPC than in bovine milk. The functional capacity of glycosylated proteins from the WPPC fractions was then examined in vitro for the ability to grow key probiotic bifidobacteria strains selectively. We found that the glycosylated proteins in WPPC acted as a growth substrate for select bifidobacteria strains. Finally, we tested in rats whether WPPC prevents cognitive impairments induced by a high-fat diet, in view of prior studies showing a cognitive benefit of milk phospholipids in rodents. A parallel goal was to determine whether effects impairments were related to changes in the entorhinal cortex-hippocampus evoked response, a marker of synaptic connectivity. WPPC at 1.6% or 10% prevented cognitive deficits induced by a high-fat diet after 4 months of supplementation. An enhanced evoked response was associated with better memory in rats on the high-fat diet supplemented with WPPC, suggesting that WPPC enhanced synaptic connectivity between the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. Overall, our results suggest that readily available WPPC may serve as a source of bioactive and probiotic compounds with the potential to improve entorhinal cortex-hippocampus circuitry.