Umami and taste enhancement - Umami taste of dried scallops

10 important questions on Umami and taste enhancement - Umami taste of dried scallops

Which compound in dried scallops is the taste-active compound?

(R)-strombine

What is the difference between an R- and S-enantiomer?

  • R-enantiomer: methyl group points backwards, has a much higher taste activity
  • S-enantiomer: methyl group points forward

Why are flavour houses interested in the use of umami-like compounds?

It enhances the flavour of their products and reduces the addition of salt.
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Why should (R)-strombine be synthesised organically?

The content of (R)-strombine in scallops:
  • is low
  • extraction would be too laborious and expensive
  • variable and season-dependent --> quality of the natural product is not constant

Why is the content of (R)-strombine in scallops variable and season-dependent?

It is related to the variation in the content of the glycine and pyruvic acid precursors within the scallop.

How is (R)-strombine formed within the scallop?

It is formed enzymatically via reductive amination starting from pyruvic acid and glycine under anaerobic conditions.
  • The oxygen of the carbonyl (second carbon) of pyruvic acid is electronegative, drawing electrons from the carbon
  • The carbon has, therefore, a partial positive charge
  • The electron pair from the amine will attack this partially positive carbon and form strombine.
  • Within the scallop, an enzyme is responsible for this conversion, with the advantage that the reaction is stereospecific, i.e. Only the R-enantiomer is formed.

What happens if (R)-strombine is formed by organic synthesis in the same way as in the scallop?

A racemic mixture of both the S- and the R-enantiomer of strombine is formed. Around the carbonyl, pyruvic acid is a flat molecule. The lone pair of the amino group of glycine can attack pyruvic acid from either the top or the bottom side, resulting in the formation of a racemic mixture containing the S- and R-enantiomer.

How is (R)-strombine formed by an alternative synthetic route?

  • (R)alanine was used instead of glycine, it already has a methyl side chain that is in the right conformation
  • Glyoxylic acid was used instead of pyruvic acid.

When the lone pair of the amino group of (R)-alanine attacks the carbonyl of glyoxylic acid, only the R-enantiomer of strombine can be formed, as now the chirality cannot be destroyed.

What does (R)-strombine trigger?

Umami and salt perception at the same time.

What discourages the use of the racemic mixture?

The S-enantiomer has less salt/umami potency, and additionally it has metallic off-taste.

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