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A rational tool for the umami evaluation of peptides based on multi-techniques
Wenli Wang1, Luan Yang1, Menghua Ning1
1Department of Food Science & Technology, School of Agriculture & Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Food Chemistry
|September 19, 2021
Summary
Five novel umami peptides were discovered from pufferfish, with DF9 showing the highest umami intensity and binding affinity. These findings advance understanding of umami taste mechanisms and peptide screening for food applications.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Biochemistry
- Sensory Science
Background:
- Umami peptides are crucial for developing new flavoring agents.
- Understanding the umami mechanism is hindered by a limited number of known umami peptides.
- Pufferfish (Takifugu flavidus) presents a valuable source for identifying novel umami peptides.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discover and characterize novel umami peptides from pufferfish.
- To evaluate the umami intensity and binding characteristics of identified peptides.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying umami peptide perception.
Main Methods:
- Sensory evaluation and multi-evaluation of peptide characteristics.
- Biosensor analysis to determine binding affinity (Ka values).
- Quantum chemical calculations and molecular docking to investigate receptor interactions.
Main Results:
- Five novel umami peptides (DF9, TK18, AK11, IK10, GT12) were identified.
- DF9 exhibited the highest umami intensity, followed by AK11.
- DF9 demonstrated the lowest Ka value (6.85 × 10-13 mol/L) in biosensor assays, consistent with sensory data.
- Molecular docking revealed that active site D in peptides binds to the T1R1 receptor.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully identified novel umami peptides and elucidated their taste characteristics.
- Findings provide new strategies for estimating umami peptide properties.
- The research offers tools for efficient screening of umami peptides in the food industry.
- Peptide binding to the T1R1 receptor via active site D is key to umami perception.
