Amino Acid Taste properties

Why does the free form of amino acid is tasteless?
How does the mechanism of a sequence of amino acids in giving taste?

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Dear @nanoscientist any idea please :blush:

Great Question, that repeatedly comes to discussion forums like this…A question that keeps coming on and off. And this is the right time to explore this aspect more carefully because alternative proteins are in huge demand.

The two amino acids glutamate and aspartate present in optimum ratio gives the most of tomato like taste to tomatoes, and sweetness probably when ripened.

There are limited information available in this topic so far.

Aminoacids (AA) are non-volatile in nature, and thus it cannot be perceived by our olfactory nerves. However, AA have taste (hence called taste active AAs) and probably not so much on its own aroma.

Peptides can be sweet, bitter or umami.

Some classification available on AA are based on its hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, basic/acidic nature, flavors (like sweet, bitter, umami etc). A good example is glutamic acid for umami flavour – considered savoury with meat flavour. Methionine is bitter, serine is sweet etc. Even Lentils contain glutamic acid.

  • fatty acids have their individual flavour profiles, highly studied, and probably amino acids are not much explored in a similar way.

-AA Breakdown with enzymes releasing aldehyde, ketones, acids are all aroma related (generate flavour)

-Crab taste has been related to glycine, glutamate, alanine etc

-If AA reacts with sugars, you end up getting flavourfull compounds – Maillard reaction products

-Maillard reaction, fermentation, protein hydrolysis are all reactions that can be studied in this respective and we could create a whole list of fundamental sciences related to taste and flavour compound generation

Many or even ALL flavour companies are working on this aspect extensively.

You have inspired me to get back to this work once again!! THANK YOU

Ref: Food Chemistry 158 (2014) 162–170

Really great answer. Thank you @nanoscientist .