Umami and Saltiness

Many of us consume more salty or high fat foods than our bodies need. The taste of salt added to food and the richness of high fat dishes are undoubtedly appealing. Scientific research, however, has suggested a link between diets high in fat and sodium and health risks such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. Nutritionists recommend that we reduce our intake of these ingredients, and food manufacturers have responded by introducing low-fat and low-sodium versions of many popular foods. Maintaining an acceptable flavor balance in these foods can, however, be difficult, since removing the fat or sodium can make the food bland.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) can be very useful here. MSG contains only one-third of the amount of sodium in table salt, and it is used at far lower levels. Although MSG is not salty itself, using a small amount of monosodium glutamate in a low sodium product can make it taste as good as its high salt counterpart.

Research has shown that people find food with low levels of salt much more acceptable when a small amount of monosodium glutamate is added.

The study evaluated people's responses to different versions of a clear soup, with and without MSG and with different levels of salt. The broken horizontal line on the graph shows the threshold level below which the participants in the research found the soup to be unpalatable. Without the addition of MSG, the soup did not become palatable until the salt concentration reached 0.75%. With MSG, however, the soup was palatable with a salt concentration of only 0.4%.

Foods for the Elderly

As we grow older, most of us lose some of our sense of taste and smell. This process normally begins at about the age of sixty, and becomes more noticeable in our seventies. As a result, elderly people's food choices can change, and sometimes these changes lead to a poorer quality diet or to an inadequate level of food intake. Glutamate can make a helpful contribution to the diet of elderly people by making many foods more appetizing and appealing.