[Bitter peptides isolated from corn protein zein by hydrolysis with pepsin (author's transl)]

Eight peptides with bitter taste were isolated from a hydrolyzate of the corn protein zein using several chromatographic procedures. The peptides have the following amino acid sequences and taste thresholds (muM/ml): Ala-Ile-Ala (50-100), Ala-Ala-Leu (50-100), Gly-Ala-Leu (50-100), Leu-Glu-Leu (2.5-3.5), Leu-Glu-Leu (8-12), Leu-Val-Leu (1.5-2.5), Leu-Pro-Phe-Asn-Gln-Leu (0.1-0.2), Leu-Pro-Phe-Ser-Gln-Leu (0.1-0.2). The threshold for bitter taste decreases with increasing number of hydrophobic side chains (greater than or equal to C3) in the peptide. It increases in the presence of hydrophilic side chains to their polarity.