Comparing Physicochemical Properties of Hawthorn Superfine and Fine Powders

To investigate the effect of superfine grinding technology on functionalities of hawthorn products, a study on physicochemical property differentials between superfine hawthorn powder (SFHP) and fine hawthorn powder (FHP) was carried out. Specific surface area of SFHP was 2.5 times greater than that of FHP. Most microstructures of SFHP were broken and bioactive substances were released. The water and oil holding capacities of SFHP decreased, but the water solubility index of SFHP increased. Zeta‐potential results showed that SFHP had higher dispersion stability in aqueous solution than that of FHP. Although total flavonoid content of SFHP was lower, its antioxidant ability was higher. Results of in vitro digestion indicated that antioxidant components contained in flavonoids extract of SFHP had higher antioxidant ability and most of them were utilized better than those of FHP in simulated gastro‐intestinal conditions. This study may help for hawthorn in deep processing. Practical Applications Hawthorn enriched in flavonoids exhibits potent antioxidant activity which makes it a better candidate as a health food or medicine. With the development of food processing technology, foods and herbs can be processed into superfine powders. It can effectively improve surface functionalities of their superfine products and facilitate absorption and bioavailability of their nutritional constituents. The objective of this study on the property differentials (such as surface physicochemical property, water holding capacity, oil holding capacity, water solubility index, dispersion stability and antioxidant ability, etc.) between hawthorn superfine powder and hawthorn fine powder is to obtain enough experiment data and provide theoretical foundations in diet and medical treatments for the deep processing application of hawthorn.