Process for producing a flavor-enhancing material for foods

A process for producing a cysteine-containing food material, which comprises

• hydrolyzing γ-glutamylcysteine by reacting a food material containing γ-glutamylcysteine at a ratio of 1 or more weight % to the solid content thereof with a γ-glutamyl peptide hydrolase at a pH value of 3 to 9 and a temperature of 15 to 70° C., wherein said food material contains.

A process for producing a flavor-enhancing material for foods, which comprises

• decomposing γ-glutamylcysteine or decomposing γ-glutamylcysteine present in a food material containing γ-glutamylcysteine at a ratio of 1 or more weight % to the solid content thereof, at a pH value of 1 to 7 and a temperature of 50 to 120° C. for a period of 3 to 300 minutes without the addition of a reducing sugar and wherein said food material contains water, and
• then, after said decomposing, adding a reducing sugar to the resulting mass from said heat-treating in an amount of 1 to 10 moles per 1 mole of the γ-glutamylcysteine present in said resulting mass.

A process for producing a flavor-enhancing material for foods, which comprises

• hydrolyzing γ-glutamylcysteine by reacting γ-glutamylcysteine or a food material containing γ-glutamylcysteine at a ratio of 1 or more weight % to the solid content thereof with a γ-glutamyl peptide hydrolase at a pH value of 3 to 9 and a temperature of 15 to 70° C. for a period of 1 to 300 minutes, wherein said food material contains, and
• then, after said hydrolyzing, adding a reducing sugar to the resulting mass from said hydrolyzing in an amount of 1 to 10 moles per 1 mole of the γ-glutamylcysteine present in said resulting mass.