Suppression of sourness by theanine

Abstract

Theanine is a unique amino acid present in green tea. It is partly responsible for the taste of green tea and possesses various psychological effects. Theanine has a preferred taste, like umami and sweetness. Therefore, theanine may improve unpleasant tastes such as bitterness and sourness of foods. To investigate new uses of theanine, we investigated its taste-modifying effect by human sensory evaluation. A reduction in sourness was observed with theanine addition. Investigation of the mechanism of taste improvement found that sourness is relatively improved by theanine addition due to the increase in pH and the addition of the umami taste.