Identification of Bitter Peptides in Aged Cheddar Cheese by Crossflow Filtration-based Fractionation, Peptidomics, Statistical Screening and Sensory Analysis
This study successfully identified specific peptides associated with bitterness in Cheddar cheese and provided insights into the factors that influence the development of this sensory attribute. The findings could help the cheese industry to control and reduce bitterness in aged cheeses, improving consumer acceptance and reducing economic losses for creameries.
College of Health researcher(s)
College unit(s)
Highlights
- “Novel approach identified bitter peptides in cheese using peptidomics and statistical tools.”
- “Five bitter peptides were identified in aged Cheddar, three of which are novel.”\
- “Peptides were isolated from cheese using crossflow filtration.”
- “The region around β-casein A1/A2 position 67 substitution is a major contributor of bitter peptides.”
- “Results can aid in bitter taste development knowledge and provides foundation for future research.”
Abstract
Despite bitterness being a common flavor attribute of aged cheese linked to casein-derived peptides, excessive bitterness is a sensory flaw that can lead to consumer rejection and economic loss for creameries. Our research employs a unique approach to identify bitter peptides in cheese samples using crossflow filtration-based fractionation, mass spectrometry-based peptidomics, statistics and sensory analysis. Applying peptidomics and statistical screening tools, rather than traditional chemical separation techniques, to identify bitter peptides allows for screening the whole peptide profile. Five peptides—YPFPGP (β-casein [60–65]), YPFPGPIPN (βA2-casein [60–68]), LSQSKVLPVPQKAVPYPQRDMPIQA (β-casein [165–189]), YPFPGPIHNS (βA1-casein [60–69]) and its serine phosphorylated version YPFPGPIHN[S] (βA1-casein [60–69])— demonstrated high levels of bitterness with mean bitterness intensity values above 7 on a 15-point scale. In the future, this data can be combined with the microbial and protease profile of the Cheddar samples to help understand how these factors contribute to bitter taste development.