Novel umami peptides from Cherry Valley duck meat extract: Identification, sensory characterization, and taste perception mechanism.

This study aims to identify the umami peptide in duck meat and study its interaction with the T1R1/T1R3 receptor. Through computational machine learning prediction and molecular docking screening, six novel umami peptides were found, with a sensory threshold ranging from 0.09 to 0.30 mmol/L. Molecular dynamics simulation and binding energy calculation show that their stable interaction with T1R1 receptors is mainly mediated by electrostatic and hydrogen bond networks. The key residues of T1R1 receptors are Arg277, Ser306, and Arg307. These results create an effective method for the screening of umami peptides in the application of flavor science and promote the understanding of the mechanism of umami perception.