School of Food and Biological Engineering, Key Laboratory of Animal Source of Anhui Province, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230601, China.
Mondelez Suzhou Food Co., Ltd, Suzhou 215000, China.
Food Chem. 2025 Jan 15;463(Pt 4):141455. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141455. Epub 2024 Sep 28.
This study focused on unlocking the potential of Jinhua ham-derived peptides (JHP) for enhancing saltiness. JHP (<3 kDa) was obtained through ultrafiltration and desalting, reducing the salt content by 96 %. Four peptide fractions (JHP-P1/P2/P3/P4) were isolated using Sephadex G-25 gel filtration and anion-exchange chromatography. Sensory evaluation and electronic tongue analysis revealed that JHP-P2 (0.5 mg/mL) exhibited the highest saltiness which could replace four-fold NaCl salinity. Three peptides (DL, FMSALF, and HVRRK) identified by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS were simulated with salty taste receptors ENaC/TMC4. Results indicated that Ser84 and Phe89 of ENaC and Asn404 and Lys567 of TMC4 are crucial for peptide docking related to salty taste. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the three peptides bind to the TMC4 and ENaC through van der Waals forces, electrostatic interactions, and hydrogen bonds. These findings establish a robust theoretical foundation for salt reduction strategies and provide novel insights into the potential applications of Jinhua ham.
本研究旨在挖掘金华火腿衍生肽（JHP）增强咸味的潜力。通过超滤和脱盐获得<3 kDa 的 JHP，盐含量降低了 96%。使用 Sephadex G-25 凝胶过滤和阴离子交换色谱分离得到四个肽段（JHP-P1/P2/P3/P4）。感官评价和电子舌分析表明，JHP-P2（0.5 mg/mL）具有最高的咸味，可以替代四倍的 NaCl 咸味。通过 UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS 鉴定出三种肽（DL、FMSALF 和 HVRRK），并用咸味受体 ENaC/TMC4 进行模拟。结果表明，ENaC 的 Ser84 和 Phe89 以及 TMC4 的 Asn404 和 Lys567 对与咸味相关的肽对接至关重要。分子动力学模拟表明，这三种肽通过范德华力、静电相互作用和氢键与 TMC4 和 ENaC 结合。这些发现为减盐策略提供了坚实的理论基础，并为金华火腿的潜在应用提供了新的见解。
