Molecular docking is a computer-based technique that predicts how a small molecule, like a nutrient or drug, fits into the active site of a specific protein, much like a key fitting into a lock. It’s widely used in pharmaceutical research, but at Crumb Lab, we applied it to food science. We docked cinnamaldehyde, the active compound in cinnamon, into sugar-digesting enzymes like alpha-amylase and maltase-glucoamylase, and found that it could potentially bind to these enzymes in a way that slows down carbohydrate digestion.

What’s exciting is that these docking results align with real-world clinical and in vitro studies, which have shown cinnamaldehyde’s ability to reduce post-meal glucose spikes and improve metabolic health. It’s a rare moment where computer simulations, lab research, and sweet cravings all agree.