Multisensory investigation of N-succinyl-amino acids’ influence on supra-threshold monosodium glutamate and sodium chloride taste perception

Escalating health apprehensions regarding excessive sodium and monosodium glutamate (MSG) consumption have intensified the demand for innovative strategies to reduce MSG and NaCl without impairing sensory integrity. This research utilized a multimodal approach, integrating quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), electronic tongue technology, and the generalized labeled magnitude scale (gLMS), to evaluate the umami and salinity-enhancing properties of N-succinyl amino acids (N-Suc-AAs: N-Suc-Phe, N-Suc-Trp, and N-Suc-Tyr) within model solutions (2-14 mg/mL). Across the tested concentration range, N-Suc-AAs increased perceived umami and saltiness, yielding mean category-scale enhancement scores of 0.5-1.6 (0 = no difference), depending on enhancer identity and dosage. Stevens’ power functions derived from gLMS data exhibited strong fits (R² = 0.9129-0.9648), with exponents of 1.1236-1.1670 for umami and 1.0229-1.0568 for saltiness. The scaling constant (k) increased from 0.5472 (umami) and 0.7973 (saltiness) in water to 0.7568-0.9654 and 1.0217-1.1910, respectively, in the presence of N-Suc-AA carriers, indicating greater perceived intensity at equivalent MSG/NaCl concentrations. Using the constant-stimulus method, differential thresholds for both umami and saltiness increased with increasing N-Suc-AA concentration, supporting the feasibility of reducing MSG and NaCl while preserving taste perception. • Quantitative descriptive analysis and electronic tongue confirmed that N-succinyl-amino acids (N-Suc-AAs) showed taste-enhancing effects on umami and saltiness at suprathreshold levels • The Stevens' power Law of umami and saltiness in different N-Suc-AAs carriers was obtained. • The difference thresholds values for umami and saltiness increased at higher additions of N-Suc-AAs, whereas lower additions showed the opposite trend.