Abstract

This study investigated the modulatory mechanism of ethanol on bitter peptide perception using ethanol–water mixture models (38–62% ethanol) to elucidate the impact of bitter peptides on the sensory quality of Chinese Baijiu. Identified by the TastePeptidesDB and sensory evaluation, Trp-Ile-Lys-Lys (WIKK) exhibited markedly higher taste thresholds in ethanol–water than in water, and ethanol modulated WIKK’s bitterness threshold through a non-monotonic pattern. Plasmid transfection and a Fluo-4 AM-based, flow-cytometric calcium mobilization assay in HEK293T cells confirmed that WIKK activated the human bitter receptor T2R47 with ethanol potentiating this activation. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations demonstrated WIKK bound human bitter receptor T2R47 primarily through H-bonds, π–π, and π–alkyl interactions in the ethanol–water system with the key binding sites of TRP88, HIS65, TYR85, ILE82, and ARG81, and ethanol significantly altered this binding affinity. These results elucidate ethanol’s role in modulating peptide bitterness perception and the underlying molecular mechanisms, enhancing the understanding of Baijiu flavor complexity.