Advances in edible mushroom-derived umami peptides: preparation, screening, evaluation, resource exploration and synergistic effects

Umami peptides are central to research on food flavor, with edible mushroom serving as an ideal natural raw material due to their richness in umami compounds. Although numerous edible mushroom-derived umami peptides have been unearthed, the absence of systematic research has hindered progress in this field. This study comprehensively investigates edible mushroom-derived umami peptides, encompassing five key dimensions: preparation, screening, evaluation, resource exploration, and synergistic effects. It systematically reviews four core preparation methods for edible mushroom-derived umami peptides (solvent extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, gene-expression-based synthesis, and solid-phase synthesis), explores advanced techniques such as molecular docking, machine learning, and biosensors in Virtual screening and evaluation, focuses on clarifying the synergistic effects between edible mushroom-derived umami peptides and monosodium glutamate, nucleotides, other umami peptides, as well as with cations (especially sodium ions), and simultaneously reveals their synergistic mechanisms at the molecular level. Results indicate 55.66% of the 155 identified edible mushroom-derived umami peptides possess lower taste thresholds than monosodium glutamate, highlighting their potential for further exploration. The achieved technological breakthroughs provide industrial support for umami peptide research and lay a critical foundation for the high-value utilization of edible mushroom.