Li Yanlei, Chang Ruiting, Lu Lin, Gao Zhiming, Wu Yuehan, Jiang Wenxin, Yuan Dan, Nishinari Katsuyoshi
Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, PR China; Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, PR China.
Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, PR China; Glyn O. Phillips Hydrocolloid Research Centre, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, PR China.
Food Chem. 2025 Aug 1;482:144212. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.144212. Epub 2025 Apr 5.
Diffusion behaviors of sodium ions in mucin layers plays an important role in saltiness perception. The influence of mucin-gum arabic interactions on the diffusion behaviors of sodium ions was investigated, in which the gum arabic was hydrolyzed to change its molecular weight. Results showed that the hydrolysis of gum arabic led to its structural changes, showing a lower zeta-potential. Gum arabic hydrolysates with lower molecular weight increased the diffusion of sodium ions through the mucin layer, which might be related to the conformation changes of mucin chains and the swelling expansion of mucin network. This mechanism was further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, and a more swelling and looser structure of mucin layer was revealed, which contributed to the high diffusion rate of sodium ions. This work can improve our understanding of mucin network affects the penetration and perception of sodium ions, which may be useful for other molecular tastants.
钠离子在粘蛋白层中的扩散行为在咸味感知中起着重要作用。研究了阿拉伯胶与粘蛋白相互作用对钠离子扩散行为的影响，其中阿拉伯胶被水解以改变其分子量。结果表明，阿拉伯胶的水解导致其结构变化，zeta电位降低。较低分子量的阿拉伯胶水解产物增加了钠离子通过粘蛋白层的扩散，这可能与粘蛋白链的构象变化和粘蛋白网络的膨胀扩展有关。透射电子显微镜进一步证实了这一机制，并揭示了粘蛋白层更肿胀、更松散的结构，这有助于钠离子的高扩散速率。这项工作可以增进我们对粘蛋白网络如何影响钠离子渗透和感知的理解，这可能对其他分子味觉剂有用。
