Surface modification of gliadin nanoparticles by natural tea infusions improves the whipping performance of clean-label creams

Green tea improves whipped cream texture without low-molecular-weight emulsifiers. • Tea infusions increase gliadin nanoparticle surface hydrophobicity. • Green tea infusion enhances foaming and modifies fat and protein aggregation. • Epigallocatechin gallate is a key contributor to whipped cream performance. Producing stable plant-based whipped cream without low-molecular-weight emulsifiers (LMWEs) requires protein stabilizers that support both emulsion stability and efficient aeration. This study investigated natural tea infusions as modifiers of gliadin nanoparticles (GNPs) to improve whipped-cream performance at a reduced protein addition level. Green tea infusion enabled a high overrun (>250%), enhanced firmness (>190 g), and low serum loss (<20%) at 3 g/kg added GNP protein. These properties did not differ significantly from those of a benchmark system containing 5 g/kg added protein. The improvements were associated with increased GNP surface hydrophobicity, enhanced foaming capacity, and changes in fat aggregation and serum-phase microrheology, supporting contributions from both interfacial and continuous-phase interactions. A knock-out/knock-in strategy identified epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as a key functional component. Across the selected tea infusions, EGCG content decreased with increasing fermentation degree, broadly paralleling the changes in GNP functionality and overall whipped-cream performance. These findings support the use of natural tea infusions to tailor protein functionality in whipped creams without LMWEs and connect the functional effects of complex tea matrices with the contribution of a specific constituent.