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ABSTRACT
Journal of Nutrition. 2000;130:921S-926S.
Supplement
Umami and Food Palatability
Shizuko Yamaguchi and Kumiko Ninomiya
Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Department of Nutritional
Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technical Committee,
Umami Manufacturers Association of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
Umami is the term that identifies the taste of substances
such as L-glutamate salts, which were discovered
by Ikeda in 1908. Umami is an important taste element in natural
foods; it is the main taste in the Japanese stock "dashi," and in
bouillon and other stocks in the West. The umami taste has
characteristic qualities that differentiate it from other tastes,
including a taste-enhancing synergism between two umami compounds,
L-glutamate and 5'-ribonulceotides, and a
prolonged aftertaste. The key qualitative and quantitative features
of umami are reviewed in this paper. The continued study of the umami
taste will help to further our general understanding of the taste
process and improve our knowledge of how the taste properties of
foods contribute to appropriate food selection and good
nutrition.
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