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Degradation of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate in model and egg yolk systems and strategies for its stabilization

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Abstract

In this study, the stability of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) in the model system and folate-enriched egg yolk and strategies for 5-MTHF stabilization were investigated. The oxygen, temperature and light affect the stability of 5-MTHF in the model system, among which oxygen is the main factor. In thermal pasteurization and spray-drying with normal air media, 5-MTHF is sensitive to oxidation, with the retention rate of blank group only reaching 74.96% ± 1.28%. The addition of vitamin C or vitamin E can protect 5-MTHF in egg yolk from degradation and the latter has a better protective effect. By adding 0.2% (w/v) vitamin E to egg yolk liquid, the retention rate of 5-MTHF during thermal pasteurization and spray-drying with normal air media were 94.16% ± 0.48% and 84.80% ± 0.82% respectively. Additionally, the spray-drying technique with inert gas media (N2) was also an effective method to improve the stability of the 5-MTHF in egg yolk. Our study explored the factors affecting the stability of 5-MTHF in both model systems and egg yolk liquid and provided effective strategies for the protection of 5-MTHF during the processing of egg.

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Funding

The authors would like to thank for the financial support from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFD0400303) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31671809 and 31801483).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China

    Yan Yang, Junhua Li, Luping Gu, Cuihua Chang, Yujie Su, Yin Liu, Yanjun Yang & Shijian Dong

  2. School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China

    Yan Yang, Junhua Li, Luping Gu, Cuihua Chang, Yujie Su, Yin Liu, Yanjun Yang & Shijian Dong

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  1. Yan Yang
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  2. Junhua Li
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  3. Luping Gu
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  4. Cuihua Chang
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  5. Yujie Su
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  6. Yin Liu
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  7. Yanjun Yang
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  8. Shijian Dong
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Contributions

YY carried out the experiments, performed theoretical calculations and wrote the manuscript; LG, YS and CC revised the manuscript; SD and YL analyzed data; YY and JL designed experiments.

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Correspondence to Yanjun Yang.

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Yang, Y., Li, J., Gu, L. et al. Degradation of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate in model and egg yolk systems and strategies for its stabilization. J Food Sci Technol 58, 3473–3481 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-021-04992-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-021-04992-y

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