## 4 Conclusions  
In conclusion, this study demonstrates the possibility of producing \(\gamma\)-glutamyl peptides through miso fermentation of two common cereal processing by-products, wheat bran and BSG. Overall, it was observed that the choice of koji and miso substrates played a crucial role in the total abundance of kokumi peptides at the end of the 12-week fermentation, with the combination of using barley as the koji substrate and BSG as the miso substrate generating the greatest absolute concentration of peptides overall. Physicochemical characterisation during the fermentation process revealed that the optimum pH for the production \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Sample**} & **Bitterness** & **Aftertaste** & **Thickness** & **Coating** \\  & **Intensity** & **Intensity** & **Intensity** & **Intensity** \\ \hline Control & 59.00 ab & 43.350 ab & 35.52 a & 40.45 a \\ Miso Barley S1/BSG & 47.10 c & 37.87 b & 29.95 a & 32.72 a \\ Miso wheat bran S2/barley & 60.45 a & 50.62 a & 36.53 a & 36.93 a \\ Miso wheat bran S1/barley & 48.75 bc & 44.27 ab & 36.07 a & 38.22 a \\ \hline \hline \(p\)-value & **0.003** & **0.042** & 0.339 & 0.360 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Results of one-way ANOVA and post hoc analysis (Tukey HSD) of intensity perception in a gLMS for bitterness, aftertaste, thickness, and coating. Samples within the same column followed by different letters were significantly different; bold font indicates significant \(p\)-values (\(p<0.05\)). Figure 5: (**A**) Results from the consumer study: Intensity perception of aftertaste, coating, thickness, and bitterness when a kokumi-rich extract from each of the misos was added to endive puree. Legend: Red: control; Orange: barley S1/BSG; Blue: wheat bran S2/barley; Green: wheat bran S1/barley. Attributes followed by * means significant differences (\(p<0.05\)). (**B**) Sum of \(\gamma\)-glutamyl peptides at 12 weeks. of the peptides is between 5 and 6. Analysis of the volatile aroma profiles of the respective misos demonstrated that particular volatile compounds, specifically high fatty acid ethyl esters, are correlated to the abundance of kokumi peptides. Given these observations, the choice of fermentation substrates, as well as monitoring physicochemical changes like pH, are suggested to be important factors for creating favourable conditions to generate more desirable flavour attributes like kokumi peptides and the volatile aroma compounds when fermenting plant-based ingredients. Furthermore, we showed that extracts from the misos that were rich in kokumi peptides reduced the bitter taste in vegetables. To our knowledge, this is the first time this has been demonstrated. These results show great potential for revalorising food production by-products through fermentation by creating flavouring products that can enhance the desirability and favourable taste attributes of plant-based ingredients. Such strategies can contribute towards shifting current food consumption patterns and transforming our food production systems to more planet friendly, healthy, and sustainable futures. The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12234297/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12234297/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12234297/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12234297/s1)).