Identification of a key umami-active fraction in modernized Korean soy sauce and the impact thereof on bitter-masking

Abstract

Food protein hydrolysates created by natural fermentation have been used for centuries as food flavorings. The aim of this study was to define the key umami-active fraction of modernized Korean soy sauce (mJGN) and the impact thereof on bitter-masking of human sensory and bitter-taste receptor-expressing cells. We found strong correlations between taste profiles of mJGN and a contained fraction (F05). The latter contained compounds of less than 500Da, and elicits a distinct umami taste. Both free amino acids and Glu-enriched oligopeptides are suggested to be crucial in terms of the effects of F05 on taste. F05 not only reduced human-perceived bitterness, but also effectively suppressed the intracellular Ca²⁺ response induced by caffeine in the hTAS2R43 and hTAS2R46 human bitter-taste receptor-expressing cells. This suggests that F05, a key umami-active fraction of mJGN, contains components that at least partially modulate human bitter-taste receptor action, improving food flavor.

Keywords: Bitter taste receptor; Bitter-masking; Low molecular weight fraction; Modernized Korean soy sauce; Umami.