Chlorogenic acid moderately decreases the quality of whey proteins in rats.
During processing and storage, phenolic compounds (PCs) may react with food protein bound amino acids (AAs). Such reactions have been reported to change physicochemical and to decrease in vitro digestion properties of proteins. A rat growth and nitrogen (N) balance study was conducted to prove whether derivatization with chlorogenic acid (CA) affects the nutritional quality of beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG). Test diets (10% protein level) contained nonderivatized beta-LG (LG, treated under omission of CA), low derivatization level beta-LG (LGL), high derivatization level beta-LG (LGH), or casein supplemented with l-methionine (0.3% of diet; C+met) as an internal standard. An additional group received untreated beta-LG supplemented with pure CA (1.03% of diet; LG+CA). The AA composition of test proteins, plasma AAs, and liver glutathione (GSH) concentrations were determined. Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) was calculated using human or rat AA requirement patterns and rat fecal digestibility values. N excretion was significantly higher in feces and lower in urine of rats fed with LGH as compared to LG and LGL. Consequently, true N digestibility (TND) was significantly lower with LGH as compared to LG and LGL. The lower content of methionine, cysteine, lysine, and tryptophan in LGH corresponded to a reduced TND. Net protein utilization (NPU) was not different between treated beta-LG fed diet groups but was lower than in LG+CA and C+met fed groups. Only at a relatively high level of derivatization with CA, the otherwise good nutritional quality of beta-LG is affected so that TND is reduced, while NPU still remains unaffected. Derivatization of beta-LG with CA does not seem to lead to an additional deficiency in a specific indispensable AA in growing rats fed with 10% protein.