Whey protein-blackcurrant concentrate particles obtained by spray-drying and freeze-drying for delivering structural and health benefits of cookies

Milk whey can interact with polyphenols leading to the formation of protein-polyphenol complexes. Whey protein isolate (WPI) was combined with blackcurrant concentrate (BC) using spray-drying (SWB) and freeze-drying (FWB) techniques. In this study, SWB and FWB were incorporated into a cookie dough, replacing 5%, 10% and 15% of flour to evaluate their effects on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of cookies. The colour and texture parameters of cookies were influenced by the amount of protein ingredients. The combination of the protein ingredients with cookies provided a higher protein and lower carbo diet option. The total phenolic contents (TPC) in SWB-enriched cookies were lower than those of the corresponding FWB-enriched cookies, but higher than the TPC of the control cookies. FWB-enriched cookies showed stronger DPPH radical scavenging capacity and reducing power than the corresponding SWB-enriched cookies before the digestion. After an intestinal digestion, FWB-enriched cookies decreased and showed lower reducing power, but higher DPPH radical scavenging capacity than the corresponding SWB-enriched cookies. FWB-enriched cookies exhibited stronger hypoglycaemic properties than SWB-enriched cookies. BC-fortified whey protein ingredients have positively influenced the functional characteristics of fortified cookies.