Application of isothermal titration calorimeter for screening bitterness-suppressing molecules of quinine.

Bitterness-suppressing molecules have drawn ever-increasing attention these years for some unique advantages like low molecular weight, tastelessness and no interference on drug bioavailability. L-Arg was reported to suppress the bitterness of quinine, and we happened to find that the suppressing effects could be demonstrated by isothermal titration calorimeter (ITC). In this study, we investigated the possibility of using ITC to screen bitterness-suppressing molecules for quinine. Among the amino acids we screened, L-Lys bond quinine with high affinity. The results of ITC correlated well with the results of human sensory experiments. L-Arg and L-Lys could suppress the bitterness of quinine while other amino acids could not. Therefore, ITC has the potential to screen bitterness-suppressing molecules.