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Glutamate news
Taste profiles for the new millennium:
recognising the umami taste
PRESCOTT, J.
Sensory Science Research Centre, University of
Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
In addition to "the commonly recognised
basic tastes - sweet, salty, sour and bitter - there is now considerable
evidence for the existence of a fifth basic taste, known as umami. This Japanese
word, translated approximately as "savoury deliciousness", refers to
the quality of foods containing significant amounts of naturallyoccurring
glutamate, its sodium salt, monosodium glutamate (MSG), or 5'-ribonucleotides.
Umami quality is ubiquitous in cuisines throughout the world. The status of
umami as a unique taste derives not just from this quality being perceived as
distinct from the other basic tastes, but also from evidence for the existence
of both glutamate receptors within the tongue's taste cells, and cells within
the brain which respond preferentially to the umami taste. The addition of
glutamate to suitable foods aimost always improves flavour acceptability. Recent
studies from our lab show that this effect is strong enough to be uninfluenced
by attitudes towards MSG. In groups of consumers who generally had negative
attitudes towards the use of MSG in foods, preference for foods containing
additional MSG was consistently higher than those without added MSG, even when
the content of the foods was known. There is increasing evidence that glutamate
may act as an energy source, similarly to sugars and fats. Thus, it may be that
our preference for additional glutamate in foods reflects the energy value that
it provides, just as our preference for sweetness does.
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