Identification of bitterness-masking compounds from cheese.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Sensory Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Bitterness is a common sensory attribute in foods that can negatively impact consumer acceptance.
• Natural compounds that can effectively mask bitterness are of significant interest for food product development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize bitterness-masking compounds in white mold cheese.
• To investigate the mechanism by which these compounds reduce bitterness perception.

Main Methods:

• Extraction and fractionation of the oily component of white mold cheese using silica gel column chromatography.
• Characterization of fractions using thin-layer chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
• Quantification of bitterness-masking activity using subjective equivalents and isothermal titration calorimetry.

Main Results:

• The fatty acid-containing fraction exhibited the highest bitterness-masking activity against quinine hydrochloride.
• Oleic acid demonstrated significant bitterness suppression, forming complexes with bitter compounds.
• The binding potential between oleic acid and bitter compounds was confirmed via isothermal titration calorimetry.

Conclusions:

• Fatty acids, particularly oleic acid, are key bitterness-masking compounds in white mold cheese.
• Oleic acid masks bitterness primarily by forming complexes with bitter molecules.
• These findings offer potential strategies for bitterness mitigation in food products.