that generate flavor at high cooking temperatures (p 778) Second, many single amino acids and short peptides have tastes of their own, and in foods where proteins have been partly broken down — aged cheeses, cured hams, soy sauce — these tastes can contribute to the overall flavor Most tasty amino acids are either sweet or bitter to some degree, and a number of peptides are also bitter But glutamic acid, better known in its concentrated commercial form MSG (monosodium glutamate), and some peptides have a unique taste that is designated by such words as savory, brothy, and umami (Japanese for “delicious”) They lend an added dimension of flavor to foods that are rich in them, including tomatoes and certain seaweeds as well as salt-cured and fermented products When heated, sulfur-containing amino acids break down and contribute eggy, meaty aroma notes Amino Acids Influence Protein Behavior The third important characteristic of amino acids is that they have a variety of chemical natures, and these influence the structure and behavior of the protein they’re a part of Some amino acids have portions resembling water and can form hydrogen bonds with other molecules, including water Some have short carbon chains or carbon rings that resemble fats, and can form van der Waals bonds with other similar molecules And some, especially those that include a sulfur atom, are especially reactive, and can form strong covalent bonds with other molecules, including other sulfurcontaining amino acids This means that a single protein has many different chemical environments along its chain: parts that attract water molecules, parts that avoid water molecules, and parts that are ready to form strong bonds with similar parts on other proteins, or on other parts of the same protein Protein Structure ... Behavior The third important characteristic of amino acids is that they have a variety of chemical natures, and these influence the structure and behavior of the protein they’re a part of Some... environments along its chain: parts that attract water molecules, parts that avoid water molecules, and parts that are ready to form strong bonds with similar parts on other proteins, or on other parts of the same protein... with other similar molecules And some, especially those that include a sulfur atom, are especially reactive, and can form strong covalent bonds with other molecules, including other sulfurcontaining