Cleaner preparation of N-lauroyl theanine with taste-enhancing properties and deciphering its taste-presenting mechanism

With the improvement of people's living standards and health awareness, reducing salt, sugar, and fat is gradually becoming the mainstream trend. In this work, we delved into the development of an innovative taste enhancer, N-lauroyl theanine (NLT), and its taste presentation mechanism. NLT was synthesized in the aqueous phase by enzyme-catalyzed and direct-heating methods using food-grade enzymes in yields of up to 64.33 % and 49.11 %, respectively. Sensory evaluation and molecular docking techniques revealed the potential of NLT to enhance salty, umami, sweet, and kokumi taste sensations and its taste presentation mechanism. Results revealed significant taste enhancement of saltiness, umami, sweetness, and kokumi and prolonged their duration in the oral cavity by 0.25–1 mg/L NLT. Molecular docking analyses showed that NLT had a strong binding affinity for a variety of taste receptors. These findings highlight the potential of NLT as a potent taste enhancer for the development of healthier salt/sugar-reduced foods.