RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Variation of wine preference amongst consumers is influenced by the composition of salivary proteins JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 2023.03.27.534455 DO 10.1101/2023.03.27.534455 A1 Luo, Jiaqiang A1 Ruan, Xinwei A1 Ang, Ching-Seng A1 Nolvachai, Yada A1 Marriott, Philip J. A1 Zhang, Pangzhen A1 Howell, Kate YR 2023 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2023/03/27/2023.03.27.534455.abstract AB The preferences of consumers for different flavours and aromas in wine are varied and may be explained by inherent factors such as cultural background, wine education and personal taste of the wine consumer. Wine flavour as perceived in the mouth includes aroma compounds released through the retronasal pathway which are shaped by interactions with saliva. Saliva and wine interactions could provide an explanation as to why wine tasters express different preferences for wine. To test this hypothesis, 13 Western and 13 Chinese experienced wine tasters were recruited. Sensory evaluation was performed in formal surroundings to acquire free description-based and perceived sensory intensity data using the Pivot® Profile and continuous scale assessment, respectively. Participants’ saliva samples were collected before the sensory evaluation and spiked into a wine sample to investigate the impact on the wine volatile release using GC×GC−MS. Saliva samples were subjected to enzyme activity assays and protein composition profiling by Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics. The wine tasters showed differences in wine flavour perception, which was supported by the difference in wine volatile release resulting from the addition of saliva. The two groups of participants did not have significant differences in total salivary protein concentrations or the amounts of esterase and α-amylase. However, statistically significant variations in the concentrations of specific proteins (proline-rich proteins (PRPs) and lipocalin-1 (LCN-1); p < 0.01) were found between the two groups. Significant correlations between perceived intensities of wine attributes and concentrations of PRPs and LCN-1 were observed. These results indicate that the composition of proteins in saliva are a factor that influences wine perception and preference. Our results provide a biochemical basis to understanding preference for food based on interactions between aroma compounds and salivary proteins and could be used to suggest foods or beverages to particular cultural groups.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.HS-SPME/GC×GC−MSheadspace solid-phase microextraction/comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography−mass spectrometryLC−MS/MSliquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometrySPEsolid phase extractionTPCtotal phenolic contentCTCtotal condensed tannin contentTAtitratable acidityPRPproline-rich proteinLCN-1lipocalin-1BLGβ-lactoglobulin proteinPRH1salivary acidic proline-rich phosphoprotein 1PRB2basic salivary proline-rich protein 2PRB3basic salivary proline-rich protein 3OBPodourant-binding proteinORolfactory receptorsPCAprincipal component analysisCAcorrespondence analysis