Similarity recognition approach to identify zero-added MSG soy sauce using stable isotopes and amino acid profiles.

Seasonings such as naturally fermented soy sauce without added monosodium glutamate (MSG), are currently a growth market in China. However, fraudulent and mislabeled zero-added MSG soy sauce may cause a risk of excessive MSG intake, increasing food safety issues for consumers. This study investigates stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes and 16 amino acids in typical Chinese in-market soy sauces and uses a similarity method to establish criteria to authenticate MSG addition claims. Results reveal most zero-added MSG soy sauces had lower δ13C values (-25.2 ‰ to -17.7 ‰) and glutamic acid concentrations (8.97 mg mL-1 to 34.76 mg mL-1), and higher δ15N values (-0.27 ‰ +0.95 ‰) and other amino acid concentrations than added-MSG labeled samples. A combined approach, using isotopes, amino acids, similarity coefficients and uncertainty values, was evaluated to rapidly and accurately identify zero-added MSG soy sauces from MSG containing counterparts.

Multienzyme-Mediated Dual-Channel Magnetic Relaxation Switching Taste Biosensor (D-MRSTB) for Simultaneous Detection of Umami Compounds and Synergistic Enhancement in Food.

Umami substances play a significant role in the evaluation of food quality, and their synergistic enhancement is of great importance in improving and intensifying food flavors and tastes. Current biosensors available for umami detection still confront challenges in simultaneous quantification of multiple umami substances and umami intensities. In this study, an innovative dual-channel magnetic relaxation switching taste biosensor (D-MRSTB) was developed for the quantitative detection of representative umami substances. The multienzyme signal of D-MRSTB specifically catalyzes the umami substances of interest to generate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which is then used to oxidate Fe2+ to Fe3+. Such a valence-state transition of paramagnetic ions was utilized as a magnetic relaxation signaling switch to influence the transverse magnetic relaxation time (T2) within the reaction milieu, thus achieving simultaneous detection of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP). The biosensor showed good linearity (R2 > 0.99) in the concentration range of 50-1000 and 10-1000 µmol/L, with limits of detection (LOD) of 0.61 and 0.09 µmol/L for MSG and IMP, respectively. Furthermore, the biosensor accurately characterized the synergistic effect of the mixed solution of IMP and MSG, where ΔT2 showed a good linear relationship with the equivalent umami concentration (EUC) of the mixed solution (R2 = 0.998). Moreover, the D-MRSTB successfully achieved the quantitative detection of umami compounds in real samples. This sensing technology provides a powerful tool for achieving the detection of synergistic enhancement among umami compounds and demonstrates its potential for application in the food industry.

Mechanism for improving the in vitro digestive properties of coconut milk by modifying the structure and properties of coconut proteins with monosodium glutamate.

In this paper, the effect of monosodium glutamate (MSG) on coconut protein (CP) solubility, surface hydrophobicity, emulsification activity, ultraviolet spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy was investigated. Meanwhile, the changes in the in vitro digestive properties of coconut milk were also further analyzed. MSG treatment altered the solubility and surface hydrophobicity of CP, thereby improving protein digestibility. Molecular docking showed that CP bound to pepsin and trypsin mainly through hydrogen bonds and salt bridges. And MSG increased the cleavable sites of pepsin and trypsin on CP, thus further improving the protein digestibility. In addition, MSG increased the Na+ concentration in coconut milk, promoted flocculation and aggregation between coconut milk droplets, which prevented the binding of lipase and oil droplets and inhibited lipid digestion. These findings may provide new ideas and insights to improve the digestive properties of plant-based milk.

Development of Taste Sensor with Lipid/Polymer Membranes for Detection of Umami Substances Using Surface Modification.

A taste sensor employs various lipid/polymer membranes with specific physicochemical properties for taste classification and evaluation. However, phosphoric acid di(2-ethylhexyl) ester (PAEE), employed as one of the lipids for the taste sensors, exhibits insufficient selectivity for umami substances. The pH of sample solutions impacts the dissociation of lipids to influence the membrane potential, and the response to astringent substances makes accurate measurement of umami taste difficult. This study aims to develop a novel taste sensor for detecting umami substances like monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) through surface modification, i.e., a methodology previously applied to taste sensors for non-charged bitter substance measurement. Four kinds of modifiers were tested as membrane-modifying materials. By comparing the results obtained from these modifiers, the modifier structure suitable for measuring umami substances was identified. The findings revealed that the presence of carboxyl groups at para-position of the benzene ring, as well as intramolecular H-bonds between the carboxyl group and hydroxyl group, significantly affect the effectiveness of a modifier in the umami substance measurement. The taste sensor treated with this type of modifier showed excellent selectivity for umami substances.

Adsorption performance of ammonium molybdate modified Salix wood flour biochar for the treatment of monosodium glutamate wastewater.

ABSTRACTThe problem of wastewater pollution in the production of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is becoming more and more serious. A novel type of chemically modified Salix psammophila powder charcoal (SPPCAM) was synthesized to address the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) in MSG wastewater. SPPCAM was prepared by carbonization method, in which inorganic ammonium molybdate (AM) was used as modifier and Salix psammophila powder (SPP) was used as raw material. Under optimal treatment conditions, maximum removal rates (removal capacities) of 45.9% (3313.2 mg·L-1) for COD and 29.4% (23.2 mg·L-1) for NH3-N in MSG wastewater were achieved. The treatment results significantly outperforming the unmodified Salix psammophila powder charcoal (SPPC), which only achieved removal rates (removal capacities) of 10.6% (763.9 mg·L-1) for COD and 12.9% (10 mg·L-1) for NH3-N. SPPC and SPPCAM before and after preparation were analysed by FT-IR and XRD, and Mo ions in the form of Mo2C within SPPCAM were successfully loaded. SEM, EDS-Mapping, BET, and other methods were used to analyse SPPCAM before and after MSG wastewater treatment, demonstrating that SPPCAM effectively treated organic pollutants in monosodium glutamate wastewater. The NH3-N in the treated MSG wastewater has reached the standard of safe discharge.

Identification of compounds contributing to umami taste of pea protein isolate.

The umami taste of pea protein ingredients can be desirable or undesirable based on the food application. The compounds contributing to the umami perception of pea protein isolate (PPI) were investigated. Sensory-guided prep-liquid chromatography fractionation of a 10% aqueous PPI solution revealed one well-known compound, monosodium glutamate (MSG), however, it was reported at a subthreshold concentration. Two umami enhancing compounds 5'-adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and 5'-uridine monophosphate (UMP) were subsequently identified after the LC fractions were re-evaluated with MSG. Sensory recombination studies, utilizing the aqueous PPI solution as the base, confirmed AMP and UMP were umami enhancers of MSG and contributed approximately 81% of the perceived umami intensity. However UMP was only reported to enhance umami perception in combination with AMP (not individually) indicating synergistic interactions were observed between the two enhancer compounds. Therefore the presence of all three compounds are important for umami perception and provide an improved basis to tailor the flavor profile in PPI products.

Umami taste evaluation based on a novel mouse taste receptor cell-based biosensor.

Umami, a taste sensation known for its savory and delicious properties, has garnered considerable attention from both consumers and the food industry. However, current understanding and evaluation of umami characteristics remain limited, presenting a long-standing issue. To address this challenge, we have developed a self-assembled biosensor based on matured taste receptor cells (TRCs), obtained through isolation and culture of taste stem cells. TRCs, as the recognition element, were mounted onto the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) treated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and poly-L-lysine (PLL). Key parameters including the cell incubation time and concentration were optimized to ensure the optimal performance of the TRCs-based biosensor. AuNPs were deposited onto the GCE surface via 90 s electrochemical reduction. TRCs concentration of 106 cells/mL and incubation time of 12 h were chosen by electrochemical characterization. Using this novel, rapid, and sensitive TRCs-based biosensor, we successfully detected L-monosodium glutamate (MSG) and other umami substances, demonstrating a good linear relationship within the range of 10-9 - 10-5 M between response signals and concentration of MSG stimuli. Our results provide insights into taste signal transduction mechanisms and suggest the potential for biomimetic sensors in intelligent perception applications.

Identification of umami peptides based on virtual screening and molecular docking from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).

Umami peptides have currently become the research focus in the food umami science field and the key direction for umami agent development. This is because umami peptides have good processing characteristics, umami and nutritional values. We here used virtual screening (including online enzymolysis through ExPASy PeptideCutter, bioactivity screening using the PeptideRanker, toxicity and physicochemical property prediction using Innovagen and ToxinPred software), molecular docking, and electronic tongue analysis to identify umami peptides generated from Atlantic cod myosin. Twenty-three putative umami peptides were screened from the myosin. Molecular docking results suggested that these 23 peptides could enter the binding pocket in the T1R3 cavity, wherein Glu128 and Asp196 were the main amino acid residues, and that hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions were the main binding forces. Twelve synthetic peptides tested on the electronic tongue exhibited umami taste and a synergistic effect with monosodium glutamate (MSG). Among them, GGR, AGCD, and SGDAW had higher umami intensities than the other peptides, while SGDAW and NDDGW exhibited stronger umami-enhancing capabilities in 0.1% MSG solution. This study offers a method for the rapid screening of umami peptides from marine protein resources and places the foundation for their application in the food industry.

Kinetics of a new porcine taste-bud tissue biosensor for the detection of umami substances and their synergistic effect.

Umami substances are nutrients to humans, and their synergistic effect is associated with food acceptance. In this study, a new biosensor was developed to detect umami substances, their synergistic effect, and detection kinetics. Porcine taste-bud tissues were used as the sensing element, and the umami substance signals were characterized using an electrochemical workstation. The responses of taste-bud tissue sensors to monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) were compared based on different tongue sites. The interaction law between MSG and receptors in the taste-bud tissues of the three sensors conforms to enzymatic-reaction kinetics, where rectangular hyperbola curves in the Michaelis-Menten equation were followed with fitting coefficients (>0.91). However, the taste-bud sensors respond differently to MSG stimuli, with those based on a tip and mediolateral tongue, producing the lowest detection limit of 10-16 mol/L. The number of receptors required for a single cell to achieve maximum output signal is 3.68, 30.42, and 7.27, respectively. Moreover, the taste-bud tissue sensors identified the synergistic effect of umami substances. In addition, they were sensitive to umami variations in soy sauce and mandarin fish. The developed porcine taste-bud tissue biosensor revealed the interaction law between umami substances and receptors, providing a new idea for umami evaluation.

Omega-3 Rich Oils Attenuate ADHD-Like Behaviour Induced by Dietary Monosodium Glutamate in Rats.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and cognitive dysfunction. The present study was designed to examine the possible modulatory effect of Fish, Walnuts or Fenugreek Oils against Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-like Behavior induced by Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) in Rats. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Fifty weaning rats were divided into five groups, (each group contain 10 rats) as follows: Group 1: Normal control rats were fed on a balanced diet. Groups from 2-5 rats were fed on a balanced diet+MSG (0.4 g kg¹ diet), Group 2 served as a positive control group whereas group 3, 4 and 5 treated with Fish, Walnuts and Fenugreek oil, respectively, (200 mg kg¹ b.wt.) by intra-gastric tube. Biochemical and behavioural parameters were tested as well as microscopic examination of brain tissue was done. <b>Results:</b> MSG ingestion caused marked disruption in locomotors activity, memory function and brain tissue structure along with significant abnormalities in some bio-markers and reduction in the gene expression level of Bcl-2 in brain tissue. However, treatment with the tested oils showed remarkable effect by reversing the condition. <b>Conclusion:</b> Dietary supplementation with walnut; fenugreek or fish oils at the tested dose could modulate the condition of ADHD in rats.

Food-grade γ-aminobutyric acid production by immobilized glutamate decarboxylase from Lactobacillus plantarum in rice vinegar and monosodium glutamate system.

OBJECTIVES: γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid, considered a potent bioactive compound. This study focused on biosynthesis of food-grade GABA by immobilized glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) from Lactobacillus plantarum in the rice vinegar and monosodium glutamate (MSG) reaction system. RESULTS: The gene encoding glutamate decarboxylase (GadB) from L. plantarum has been heterologously expressed in Lactococcus lactis and biochemically characterized. Recombinant GadB existed as a homodimer, and displayed maximal activity at 40 °C and pH 5.0. The Km value and catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of GadB for L-Glu was 22.33 mM and 62.4 mM-1 min-1, respectively, with a specific activity of 24.97 U/mg protein. Then, purified GadB was encapsulated in gellan gum beads. Compared to the free enzyme, immobilized GadB showed higher operational and storage stability. Finally, 9.82 to 21.48 g/L of GABA have been acquired by regulating the amounts of catalyst microspheres ranging from 0.5 to 0.8 g (wet weight) in 0.8 mL of the designed rice vinegar and MSG reaction system. CONCLUSIONS: The method of production GABA by immobilized GadB microspheres mixed in the rice vinegar and MSG reaction system is introduced herein for the first time. Especially, the results obtained here meet the increased interest in the harnessing of biocatalyst to synthesize food-grade GABA.

Characterization of umami compounds in bone meal hydrolysate.

The objective of this research was to identify and characterize the chemical compounds that exhibited monosodium glutamate (MSG)-like taste in the hydrolyzed bone meal produced by using flavourzyme. The free amino acids and peptides in the bone meal hydrolysate were analyzed. The results showed that the glutamic acid and the aspartic acid in the bone meal increased by 13.1 times and 14.2 times, respectively, after the flavourzyme hydrolysis. The peptides' isolation identified six MSG-like peptides in the hydrolysate, including APGPVGPAG, DAINWPTPGEIAH, FLGDEETVR, GVDEATIIEILTK, PAGPVGPVG, and VAPEEHPTL, which should contribute to the taste. The human sensory evaluation results indicated that the six peptides showed MSG-like taste, and the electronic tongue analysis indicated that the six peptides showed sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and astringency. The findings of this study demonstrated that the MSG-like taste of the bone meal hydrolysate should be attributed to the generation of MSG-like amino acids and peptides from the flavourzyme hydrolysis. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The manuscript describes the umami compounds in the bone meal hydrolysate. The findings from this study should further confirm the feasibility of using bone meal to prepare meat-flavor essence and provide a better understanding of preparing bio-source flavoring peptides, which is very important to the artificial meat development and gene breeding.

Effects of alkali, enzymes, and ultrasound on monosodium glutamate byproduct for a sustainable production of Bacillus subtilis.

Due to the hindrance of flocculated polymers and bacterial cell wall, the production of Bacillus subtilis using monosodium glutamate byproduct (MSGB) was low. With the assistance of scanning electron microscope images, effects of alkali, lysozyme, papain, ultrasound, and their combinations on MSGB were evaluated using the results of soluble protein, carbohydrate, monosaccharides and peptidoglycans. Alkali could dissolve flocculated polymers increasing 21% soluble MSGB, and thus enhanced the subsequent treatments (ultrasound, lysozyme, or papain) to increase 14-17% soluble MSGB. As ultrasound mainly released intercellular components (mannose, and glucose) while lysozyme or papain mainly released cell wall components (peptidoglycans), the combination of alkali, ultrasound, and enzymes led to a highest soluble MSGB (78%), yielding a maximal B. subtilis production of 6.6 × 109 colony-forming units mL-1. This yield was about 33 times that of using untreated MSGB, and the key to improve B. subtilis production was the release of carbohydrate.

Hydration and dynamics of L-glutamate ion in aqueous solution.

Aqueous solutions of sodium l-glutamate (NaGlu) in the concentration range 0 < c/M ≤ 1.90 at 25 °C were investigated by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) and statistical mechanics (1D-RISM and 3D-RISM calculations) to study the hydration and dynamics of the l-glutamate (Glu-) anion. Although at c → 0 water molecules beyond the first hydration shell are dynamically affected, Glu- hydration is rather fragile and for c ⪆ 0.3 M apparently restricted to H2O molecules hydrogen bonding to the carboxylate groups. These hydrating dipoles are roughly parallel to the anion moment, leading to a significantly enhanced effective dipole moment of Glu-. However, l-glutamate dynamics is determined by the rotational diffusion of individual anions under hydrodynamic slip boundary conditions. Thus, the lifetime of the hydrate complexes, as well as of possibly formed [Na+Glu-]0 ionpairs and l-glutamate aggregates, cannot exceed the characteristic timescale for Glu- rotation.

Umami-enhancing effect of typical kokumi-active γ-glutamyl peptides evaluated via sensory analysis and molecular modeling approaches.

The umami-enhancing effect of typical kokumi-active γ-glutamyl peptides was verified by sensory evaluation. To investigate the umami-enhancing molecular mechanism of the peptide on monosodium glutamate (MSG) taste, a novel hypothetical receptor, taste type 1 receptor 3 (T1R3)-MSG complex, was constructed. These peptides demonstrated strong interactions with T1R3-MSG. Moreover, four amino acid residues, Glu-301, Ala-302, Thr-305, and Ser-306, were critical in ligand-receptor interactions. In detail, γ-Glu-γ-Glu-Val (γ-E-γ-EV) readily interacts with T1R3 through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. While γ-E-γ-EV did not bind to MSG, γ-Glu-Val (γ-EV) and γ-Glu-Leu (γ-EL) showed high binding affinity to MSG and interacted with T1R3 through hydrophobic bonds suggesting that the interactions between dipeptides and T1R3-MSG were weaker than tripeptides. These results demonstrated that kokumi-active γ-glutamyl peptides could enhance the umami taste of MSG, and exhibit synergistic effects in activating T1R3. This study provides a theoretical reference for interactions between the novel umami-enhancing substances and umami receptor.

Isolation, characterization and molecular docking of novel umami and umami-enhancing peptides from Ruditapes philippinarum.

To understand the taste of the Ruditapes philippinarum, 14 novel umami peptides were isolated and identified by gel chromatography, HPLC and UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS. Separations were combined with sensory evaluations and electronic tongue determinations. The peptide sequences were GRVSNCAA, SEEK, KEMQKN, KSAEN, QIEELEGK, TDVEQEGD, HNESQN, RGEPNND, TGDPEK, KGGGGP, TYLPVH, PAATIPE, GPAGPAGPR and AGAGPTP. All peptides had umami and umami-enhancing qualities, KSAEN and QIEELEGK had higher sensory evaluation than the others, while PAATIPE and HNESQN had the best umami-enhancing taste in a 0.35% MSG solution. Molecular docking of the peptides with T1R1/T1R3 indicated that Ser123, Ser146 and Tyr143 may be important in the interaction of the peptides with T1R3. Arg303, Ser123 and Asp166 appear to be involved in the synergistic effect of umami peptides combined with monosodium glutamate. The omission test and the addition test confirmed that the 14 umami peptides contributed to the umami taste of R. philippinarum.

A novel bionic in vitro bioelectronic tongue based on cardiomyocytes and microelectrode array for bitter and umami detection.

Electronic tongues (ETs) have been developed and widely used in food, beverage and pharmaceutical fields, but limited in sensitivity and specificity. In recent years, bioelectronic tongues (BioETs) integrating biological materials and various types of transducers are proposed to bridge the gap between ET system and biological taste. In this work, a bionic in vitro cell-based BioET is developed for bitter and umami detection, utilizing rat cardiomyocytes as a primary taste sensing element and microelectrode arrays (MEAs) as a secondary transducer for the first time. The primary cardiomyocytes of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, which endogenously express bitter and umami taste receptors, were cultured on MEAs. Cells attached and grew well on the sensor surface, and syncytium was formed for potential conduction and mechanical beating, indicating the good biocompatibility of surface coating. The specificity of this BioET was verified by testing different tastants and bitter compounds. The results show that the BioET responds to bitter and umami compounds specifically among five basic tastants. For bitter recognition, only those can activate receptors in cardiomyocytes can be recognized by the BioET, and different bitter substances could be discriminated by principal component analysis (PCA). Moreover, the specific detections of two bitters (Denatonium Benzoate, Diphenidol) and an umami compound (Monosodium Glutamate) were realized with a detection limit of 10-6 M. The cardiomyocytes-based BioET proposed in this work provides a new approach for the construction of BioETs and has promising applications in taste detection and pharmaceutical study.

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Production from a Novel Enterococcus avium JS-N6B4 Strain Isolated from Edible Insects.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-producing strains were isolated from four edible insects and subjected to 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Among the four GABA-producing bacteria, Enterococcus avium JS-N6B4 exhibited the highest GABA-production, while cultivation temperature, initial pH, aerobic condition, and mono-sodium glutamate (MSG) feeding were found to be the key factors affecting GABA production rate. The culture condition was optimized in terms of glucose, yeast extract, and MSG concentrations using response surface methodology (RSM). GABA production up to 16.64 g/l was obtained under the conditions of 7 g/l glucose, 45 g/l yeast extract, and 62 g/l MSG through the optimization of medium composition by RSM. Experimental GABA production was 13.68 g/l, which was close to the predicted value (16.64 g/l) calculated from the analysis of variance, and 2.79-fold higher than the production achieved with basic medium. Therefore, GABA-producing strains may help improve the GABA production in edible insects, and provide a new approach to the use of edible insects as effective food biomaterials.

Establishment of new assessment method for the synergistic effect between umami peptides and monosodium glutamate using electronic tongue.

In order to investigate the synergistic effect between umami peptides and monosodium glutamate (MSG), a new assessment method was established using electronic tongue. After 36 kinds of umami peptides synthesized by peptide solid phase synthesis, their taste characteristics were preliminarily explored by electronic tongue technology, and then the umami intensity was ranked before and after addition of MSG, using a concentration of 0.35% of MSG as control. In addition, the sensory evaluation was utilized to verify the results of the electronic tongue. Finally, the umami intensity and the synergistic effect of umami peptides and MSG were also investigated by the aroma chicken model (ACM). Results showed that peptide Lys-Gly-Ser-Leu-Ala-Asp-Glu-Glu (KE-8) and Arg-Leu (RL) have the strongest umami taste, Asp-Asp-Asp (DDD) and Glu-Ser-Val (ESV) have the strongest synergistic effect with MSG, which could increase the umami intensity. The ESV and Glu-Asp-Asp (EDD) showed the strongest synergistic effect with ACM. The evaluation method could provide the objective data for further investigating for the synergistic theory.

Patho-physiological and toxicological aspects of monosodium glutamate.

Nowadays, the life-line of urban population has been formed by commercial foods due to industrialization, urbanization, and rapid increase in working class. Commercial foods are time and energy saving foods but it compromising the nutritional value of foods. The term adulteration refers to the deliberate addition of compound which is usually not present in food. These compounds are known as food additives or food adulterant. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is one of the most common food additives. Several studies revealed that MSG has toxic effect on fetal development/fetus, children's, adolescent, and adults. Physiological complication associated with MSG toxicity are hypertension, obesity, gastrointestinal tract troubles, and impairment of function of brain, nervous system, reproductive, and endocrine system. The effect of MSG depends upon its dose, route of administration and exposure time. Public awareness may play a major role in controlling the food adulteration by working in collaboration with National testing facilities to scrutinize each commercial food article from time to time. The aim of this review article is to highlight the deleterious impact of MSG on human health.