From Medical Herb to Functional Food: Development of a Fermented Milk Containing Silybin and Protein from Milk Thistle
Yanxia Liu,
Minghuo Wu,
Miaomiao Ren,
Haijun Bao,
Qing’an Wang,
Nan Wang,
Shibo Sun,
Jianqiang Xu,
Xiaojing Yang,
Xu Zhao,
Yongming Bao,
Gaohong He,
Weiping Xu
Affiliations
Yanxia Liu
School of Ocean Science and Technology, Panjin Institute of Industrial Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin Campus, Panjin 124221, China
Minghuo Wu
School of Ocean Science and Technology, Panjin Institute of Industrial Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin Campus, Panjin 124221, China
Miaomiao Ren
School of Ocean Science and Technology, Panjin Institute of Industrial Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin Campus, Panjin 124221, China
Haijun Bao
Yingkou Chenguang Extraction Equipment Co., Ltd., Yingkou 115000, China
Qing’an Wang
Yingkou Chenguang Extraction Equipment Co., Ltd., Yingkou 115000, China
Nan Wang
Yingkou Chenguang Extraction Equipment Co., Ltd., Yingkou 115000, China
Shibo Sun
School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin Campus, Panjin 124221, China
Jianqiang Xu
School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin Campus, Panjin 124221, China
Xiaojing Yang
School of Ocean Science and Technology, Panjin Institute of Industrial Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin Campus, Panjin 124221, China
Xu Zhao
School of Ocean Science and Technology, Panjin Institute of Industrial Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin Campus, Panjin 124221, China
Yongming Bao
School of Ocean Science and Technology, Panjin Institute of Industrial Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin Campus, Panjin 124221, China
Gaohong He
State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Weiping Xu
School of Ocean Science and Technology, Panjin Institute of Industrial Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin Campus, Panjin 124221, China
Milk thistle is a traditional medicinal herb. Silybin is a medicinal component found in the seed coat of milk thistle, which has liver-protective and anti-cancer properties. Conventional studies have focused on the extraction of silybin with organic reagents, which was inapplicable to the food industry. This study aims to develop a fermented milk containing silybin and protein from the milk thistle seeds. A three step procedure was developed, comprising homogenization of milk thistle seeds, NaHCO3 heat treatment, and microbial fermentation. The silybin was characterized by high performance liquid chromatography, and the protein was quantified and electrophorized. It was found that the homogenization step was essential for the preparation of protein, and the NaHCO3 heat treatment was the crucial step in obtaining silybin. The optimal NaHCO3 treatment settings were 1% NaHCO3, 60°C, and 3 h, and the optimal strains for microbial fermentation were L131 (Rummeliibacillus stabekisii) and RS72 (Lactobacillus plantarum). The silybin yield in the fermented milk reached 11.24–12.14 mg/g seeds, accounting for 72.6–78.4% of the total silybin in the milk thistle seeds, and the protein yield reached 121.8–129.6 mg/g seeds. The fermented milk had a slightly sweet yoghurt-like flavor and could be used as a dietary supplement for silybin and protein.
