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Delivery of sensitive water-soluble compounds in foods is an important challenge. (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major catechin in green tea, is a potent antioxidant with numerous attributed health benefits. However, its sensitivity to oxidation limits its enrichment in the diet for preventive medicine. We have studied the possibility of using thermally modified β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) to form co-assembled nanovehicles for delivery of EGCG, as a model system for delivery of polyphenols by heat-modified proteins. Using fluorescence spectroscopy, DLS and spectrophotometry we found that optimal nano-entrapment is obtained when EGCG is added to preheated (75–85°C, 20min) β-Lg solution during cooling and vortexing. The measured association constant with the heated protein was 3.7×10⁵M⁻¹, about 3.5-fold higher than that with the native protein: 1.05×10⁵M⁻¹. Thermally-induced protein-EGCG co …