title: Identification of bitterness-masking compounds from cheese.
abstract: Bitterness-masking compounds were identified in a natural white mold cheese. The oily fraction of the cheese was extracted and further fractionated by using silica gel column chromatography. The four fractions obtained were characterized by thin-layer chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The fatty acid-containing fraction was found to have the highest bitterness-masking activity against quinine hydrochloride. Bitterness-masking activity was quantitated using a method based on subjective equivalents. At 0.5 mM, the fatty acid mixture, which had a composition similar to that of cheese, suppressed the bitterness of 0.008% quinine hydrochloride to be equivalent to that of 0.0049-0.0060% and 0.5 mM oleic acid to that of 0.0032-0.0038% solution. The binding potential between oleic acid and the bitter compounds was estimated by isothermal titration calorimetry. These results suggest that oleic acid masked bitterness by forming a complex with the bitter compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryousuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Homma
authors.forename: Haruyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Funaki
authors.forename: Reiko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Takanobu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Yoshiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishimaru
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Tomiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asakura
mesh_terms: D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D019301:Oleic Acid / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D011803:Quinine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D013649:Taste; D013650:Taste Buds / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019301:Oleic Acid; D011803:Quinine