Tricholomic acid is a
non-proteinogenic amino acid found in some mushrooms, including ''
Tricholoma muscarium''.
It has a chemical structure similar to
glutamic acid
Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; known as glutamate in its anionic form) is an α- amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can ...
, hence the synonym cycloglutamate, and it interacts with
glutamate receptor
Glutamate receptors are synaptic and non synaptic receptors located primarily on the membranes of neuronal and glial cells. Glutamate (the conjugate base of glutamic acid) is abundant in the human body, but particularly in the nervous system ...
s. Because glutamate receptors are thought to be responsible for the reception of
umami
Umami ( from ), or savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes. It is characteristic of broths and cooked meats.
People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to glutamates and nucleotides, which are widely present in me ...
taste, tricholomic acid and close
analogs have been investigated as
flavor enhancer
A flavoring (or flavouring), also known as flavor (or flavour) or flavorant, is a food additive that is used to improve the taste or smell of food. It changes the perceptual impression of food as determined primarily by the chemoreceptors of t ...
s.
See also
*
Ibotenic acid
Ibotenic acid or (''S'')-2-amino-2-(3-hydroxyisoxazol-5-yl)acetic acid, also referred to as ibotenate, is a naturally occurring alpha-amino acid found in certain ''Amanita'' mushrooms, that primarily acts as a potent glutamate receptor agonist ...
, a related compound found in mushrooms
References
{{reflist
External links
Tricholomic acid Human Metabolome Database
Alpha-Amino acids
Non-proteinogenic amino acids
Isoxazolidinones