Effect of high-hydrostatic pressure on the digestibility of egg yolk and granule

Yosra Ben-Fadhel; Véronique Perreault; Alice Marciniak; Romuald Gaillard; Yves Pouliot; Guillaume Brisson; Alain Doyen

doi:10.1111/1750-3841.17051

Effect of high-hydrostatic pressure on the digestibility of egg yolk and granule

J Food Sci. 2024 Mar 29. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.17051. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yosra Ben-Fadhel^{1

2}, Véronique Perreault^{1

2}, Alice Marciniak³, Romuald Gaillard^{1

2}, Yves Pouliot^{1

2}, Guillaume Brisson^{1

2}, Alain Doyen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Sciences, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
² Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
³ Department of Food Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

PMID: 38551196
DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.17051

Abstract

The impact of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on protein digestibility of egg yolk and egg yolk granule was evaluated by static in vitro digestion using the standardized INFOGEST 2.0 method. The degree of hydrolysis (DH) and the phospholipid content were determined during digestion, and the protein and peptide profiles were characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and reverse phase-high pressure liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The results showed that HHP induced protein aggregation in egg yolk and granule, mainly by disulfide bridges, which were not disrupted in the oral phase. Proteolysis during the gastric phase improved egg yolk and granule protein solubility, regardless of whether HHP was applied. However, the extent of the samples' digestibility was not affected, with DH values ranging from 15% to 20%. During the intestinal phase, the DH of egg yolk protein (∼40%) was higher than that of the granule (∼25%), probably due to the denser structure of the granule reducing the accessibility of intestinal enzymes. The DH, peptide, and protein profiles of control and HHP-treated egg yolk showed similar protein digestion behaviors for both gastric and intestinal phases. Among the different proteins, only the digestibility of β-phosvitin in HHP-treated granule was enhanced. Consequently, applying HHP to granules represents an interesting process that improves the digestibility of phosvitin with the potential to generate bioactive phosvitin-derived phosphopeptides. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: High hydrostatic pressure, mainly used as a preservation process, did not impair the nutritional quality of the egg yolk and granule proteins but improved the susceptibility of phosvitin (protein contained in egg yolk) proteolysis to produce bioactive phosphopeptides. Consequently, applying HHP to granules represents an interesting process that improves the digestibility of phosvitin.

Keywords: Egg yolk; degree of hydrolysis; granule; high hydrostatic pressure; in vitro digestion; phospohlipids; protein profile.

Abstract

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