Fermented Seasoning Peptide Bitterness Control
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fermented seasonings rich in peptides often exhibit bitterness, making them difficult to ingest orally, and current methods to mask bitterness are insufficient in terms of effectiveness and production cost.
Innovation Solution
A fermented seasoning is developed using Aspergillus culture with controlled leucine aminopeptidase activity, combined with fermentation conditions and the addition of a yeast strain, which results in a high peptide content without bitterness, offering a mellow and rich deliciousness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If peptides are produced by hydrolyzing protein-containing material with protease preparation, then peptide content is increased, but bitterness increases and oral ingestion becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces leucine aminopeptidase as an intermediary enzyme that selectively hydrolyzes leucine-containing peptides. This mediator enzyme allows controlled degradation of specific peptide types while preserving others, thereby reducing bitterness without significantly lowering overall peptide content. The leucine aminopeptidase acts as a selective filter that processes peptides in a controlled manner.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the enzymatic parameter by introducing leucine aminopeptidase activity alongside protease activity. This parameter change enables selective hydrolysis of leucine-containing peptides at controlled rates. By adjusting the leucine aminopeptidase activity level, the patent optimizes the balance between peptide degradation (reducing bitterness) and peptide preservation (maintaining content).
2Ease of manufacture
If peptidase activity is increased to degrade peptides into amino acids, then deliciousness is improved, but peptide content is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the peptide degradation process into two distinct enzymatic stages: first, proteases hydrolyze proteins into peptides; second, leucine aminopeptidase selectively degrades leucine-containing peptides into amino acids. This segmentation allows controlled progression through different degradation stages, preserving peptides that are not leucine-containing while converting only specific peptide types into amino acids, thus maintaining both peptide content and deliciousness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by making the peptidase activity selective for leucine-containing peptides rather than degrading all peptides uniformly. This localized enzymatic action targets only specific peptide substrates (those containing leucine at the N-terminus), leaving other peptide types intact. Consequently, the deliciousness improvement comes from converting problematic leucine-containing peptides, while overall peptide content is preserved.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If masking agents are added to reduce bitterness, then oral ingestion is improved, but production cost increases and new foul taste may be generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs self-service by using leucine aminopeptidase to automatically and selectively convert bitter-tasting leucine-containing peptides into amino acids during the fermentation process itself. This self-regulating enzymatic system eliminates the need for external masking agents. The enzyme system serves its own function of reducing bitterness through controlled hydrolysis, transforming the harmful component into a beneficial one (amino acids contribute to umami flavor) without requiring additional costly additives.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The seasoning effectively masks the bitterness of peptides, allowing for easy oral ingestion while maintaining high peptide content, providing desirable taste and potential physiological benefits.
Implementation Method 1
The deliciousness is produced by the solubilization of material proteins to be peptides through the activity of proteases
Implementation Method 2
a method for hydrolyzing a protein-containing material with a protease preparation
Implementation Method 3
additional degradation of the peptides into amino acids including glutamic acid by the activity of peptidases
Implementation Method 4
the activity of peptidases
Implementation Method 5
fermentation conditions and the addition of a yeast strain
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A fermented seasoning which does not have the bitterness specific to peptides and can be easily ingested orally, in spite of containing large amount of peptides is provided. Namely, a fermented seasoning obtained by adding salt water to an Aspergillus culture or a mixture of the Aspergillus culture with a plant-derived protein material and by controlling the leucine aminopeptidase-I activity in the moromi to be 1.0 U/ml or less, and also controlling the leucine aminopeptidase-II activity to be 0.5 U/ml or less, within 10 days after the preparation.