Decoding of Salty/Saltiness-Enhancing\nPeptides Derived\nfrom Goose Hemoglobin and the Interaction Mechanism with TMC4 Receptor

Amid the growing concern for health-oriented food choices,\nsalt\nreduction has received widespread attention, particularly in the exploitation\nof salt alternatives. Peptides with a saltiness-enhancing effect may\nprovide an alternative method for salt reduction. The objective of\nthis study was to isolate and extract novel peptides with salt-reducing\neffects by fermenting goose blood using a <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> strain. Five potential target peptides were screened by a virtual\ndatabase prediction and molecular docking. Sensory evaluation and\nE-tongue analysis showed that five peptides (NEALQRM, GDAVKNLD, HAYNLRVD,\nPEMHAAFDK, and AEEKQLITGL) were identified as target peptides. Particularly,\nthe results of E-tongue showed that GDAVKNLD can increase the saltiness\nintensity (2.87 ± 0.02) in the complex system. The sensory evaluation\nresults also indicated an increase in saltiness intensity (46.67 ±\n4.67 mmol/L NaCl) after adding GDAVKNLD. The results of molecular\ndynamics simulation indicated that five peptides have good ability\nto bind tightly to TMC4 receptor, thereby stimulating it to exert\nan active effect. And these peptides interacted with the TMC4 receptor\nvia hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and electrostatic\ninteractions. This research lays a theoretical foundation for discovering\nnovel salty/saltiness-enhancing peptides and provides meaningful contributions\nto efforts in salt reduction.