Contribution of glycine betaine and arginine to the taste of seafoods.

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Glycine betaine (GB) and free arginine (Arg) are usually abundant in the muscles of mollusks and shellfish.The present study was performed to disclosed the contribution of GB and Arg to the taste of these seafoods. Results obtained are summarized as follows.1.The threshold concentration of GB was found to be 0.25-0.5%.2.Differing from literatures describing that GB has a plain sweetness, 0.25-1.5% GB solutions were perceived by all panelists as sweet with bitterness.3.The addition test to a synthetic extract simulating the muscle extract of whelk, Neptunea polycostata, with contained a large amount of GB (1555mg/100g) , showed that the contribution of GB to the sweet taste is not so important as thus far understood.4.The adductor muscle of scallop, Patinopecten yessoensis, is not bitter despite its having a very high content of Arg, a bitter amino acid, whose threshold concentration has been reported to be 50mg/100ml. The addition test of extractive components of scallop to 0.3% Arg solution revealed that glutamic acid, adenosine 5'-monophosphate and NaCl were effective for reducing bitterness of Arg, with NaCl being the most effective in this regard.The effectiveness of NaCl was confirmed by the supplemental addition test of Arg to NaCl solution.5.The occurrence of a similar masking effect on the bitterness of Arg was confirmed in the muscle of Japanese spiny lobster, Panulirus japonicus, whose Arg concentration was about 5 times higher than that of scallop (1512mg/100g) and 30 times higher than the reported threshold concentration of Arg (50mg/100ml) .