Glutamate and Umami Seminar
The seminar was organised by the Taiwan Association for Food Science and Technology and the Taiwan Amino Acid Manufacturers Association, and co-sponsored by the International Glutamate Technical Committee. The seminar attracted a large audience of academics, students, government officials, doctors, nutritionists, culinary experts and the media.
The audience was addressed by
Prof. Takashi Yamamoto, from Kio University in Japan, who provided a briefing on umami taste, its character, discovery and importance in modern cooking. He also described the possibilities for using glutamate-rich seasonings, such as yeast extracts and monosodium glutamate, to reduce sodium intake with no loss in the palatability.
Prof. Kuo-Shyan Lu (National Taiwan University) discussed taste transmission in humans and why the presence of umami taste is an important element of the pleasure we take in food.
Prof. Emeritus Yuan-Chi Su also from the National Taiwan University focused on the local production of glutamate and its use in food.
John Fernstom, Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (USA) underlined the safety and physiological importance of umami substances. Prof. Fernstrom stressed that most of the dietary glutamate we consume is used as fuel by the cells of the digestive system.
The seminar is one of a series being undertaken around the world to build understanding of the role of glutamate and umami taste in nutrition and in the body.
2008 marks the 100 year anniversary of Dr. Ikeda's discovery of umami in Kombu. Below is a list of
events that were held to commemorate the discovery of umami.
Star chefs highlight the benefits of glutamate-rich cuisine
London - March 2009: Four chefs, from Japan's finest Kaiseki
restaurants, visited London in March, to share the secrets of umami, and how dashi can be used to create delicious, healthy
dishes that are low in fat.
More...
100th Anniversary of Umami Discovery Open Symposium
A symposium focusing on the science and research surrounding umami.
Society for the Study of Ingestive Behaviour
This event was a luncheon seminar, which looked at the biological
significance of the glutamate signaling system during and after a protein meal.
International Symposium on Olfaction and Taste
The symposium was designed to provide an integrative approach for modern
research in the field. The meeting included oral presentations and thematic
collections of volunteer papers, as well as extensive poster sessions.
Umami Summit in the USA
The New Frontiers of Taste umami symposium, was held in San Francisco. The
symposium began with a panel discussion - food scientists, food journalists and
chefs - where people discussed the hot new topics in umami. This was followed by
a luncheon presented by Kunio Tokuoka, Thomas Keller and Hiro Sone.
The second event, Umami: A Modern Japanese Cuisine Dégustation was held in
New York, where fifty food enthusiasts were able to taste and experience umami
for themselves.
International Congress of Dietetics
This is an international congress held once every four years. The congress
featured a symposium on glutamate, "Eat well, Be well and Live better." The
symposium included new physiological and nutritional information on glutamate,
in relation to digestion and absorption of protein.
International Glutamate Technical Committee
100th Anniversary Symposium of Umami Discovery. This symposium was organised
to celebrate the discovery of umami by Prof. Ikeda in 1908 and to analyse the
subsequent extensive research on glutamate.