Comparative Study of Free Radical Grafting and Alkaline Conjugation for Enhanced Resveratrol Incorporation and Whey Protein Functionalities

Incorporating health-promoting resveratrol into food products is challenging, primarily due to its poor solubility. Covalent conjugation is a promising, low-energy, and environmentally friendly strategy to overcome this limitation. This study compared the effectiveness of free radical grafting and alkaline methods for covalently conjugating whey protein isolate (WPI) with resveratrol. Conjugates were evaluated for molecular weight, structural characteristics, functional properties, and...