Abstact

Flavor perception is driven by the interplay of gustation, olfaction, and somatosensory inputs. Among the factors influencing flavor perception, the enzymatic activity of oral bacterial glycosidases plays a role in modulating taste and aroma, generating aroma molecules from glycosidic precursors. This study investigates the in vitro capacity of oral bacterial β-glucosidases to hydrolyze glycosidic aroma precursors. Seven candidate enzymes from oral bacteria were recombinantly produced and screened for glycosidase activity. Among them, only the β-glucosidase from Prevotella sp. (PsBG1) showed hydrolytic activity toward chromogenic substrates and the aroma glucosides tested, leading to the release of salicylaldehyde, hexanol, and octanol, as confirmed by GC-MS. Structural analysis of PsBG1 revealed key residues involved in substrate recognition and catalysis. These results identify a specific oral bacterial enzyme capable of releasing aroma-active compounds from glycosides in vitro, suggesting a potential contribution of oral microbiota enzymatic activity to in-mouth aroma release.