Study of the acid and thermal stability of β-lactoglobulin–ligand complexes using fluorescence quenching

The major protein in bovine milk whey, β-lactoglobulin (β-LG), has several binding sites for ligands. Its interactions with folic acid (a hydrophilic compound), resveratrol (amphiphilic) and α-tocopherol (hydrophobic) at neutral and acidic pH and after heating to 85 °C were studied using fluorescence quenching. Binding of folic acid occurs in a hydrophobic pocket in the groove between the α-helix and the β-barrel and is disturbed by decreasing the pH from 7.0 to 2.0. Resveratrol binds to the outer surface of β-LG near Trp19–Arg124 to form complexes that are stable at acidic pH. Acidification caused the release of α-tocopherol bound to the internal cavity but had no influence on that bound to a site at the surface of β-LG. The β-LG/folic acid complex was thermally stable. Thermal denaturing improved the affinity of the protein for resveratrol but decreased somewhat its affinity for α-tocopherol. These results should help guide the development of formulations based on β-LG as a carrier of a wide range of bioactive nutrients.