UMAMI: THE FIFTH TASTE

 

Introduction:

The special sense that perceives and distinguishes the sweet, sour, bitter, or salty quality of a dissolved substance and is mediated by taste buds on the tongue. There are five universally accepted basic tastes that stimulate and are perceived by our taste buds: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter and umami.

Functions of tongue:

Taste buds are sensory organs that are found on your tongue and allow experiencing tastes. Taste buds have very sensitive microscopic hairs called microvilli. Those tiny hairs send messages to the brain about how something tastes.

The average person has about 10,000 taste buds and they're replaced every 2 weeks or so. But as a person ages, some of those taste cells don't get replaced. An older person may only have 5,000 working taste buds. That's why certain foods may taste stronger to someone than others. Smoking also can reduce the number of taste buds a person has.

Umami:

Umami, which is also known as monosodium glutamate is one of the core fifth tastes including sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.

Glutamate, a key compound in cellular metabolism, taste, and neurotransmission, is a salt of the non-essential amino acid glutamic acid. Among food ingredients, glutamate is present in both its free amino acid form (glutamic acid) and in its bound form as glutamate within dietary proteins; however, when bound to proteins, glutamate is tasteless and does not elicit the umami response The taste sensation of umami requires protein hydrolysis which renders free glutamic acid.

History:

Umami was first identified by Japanese scientist Dr. Kikunae Ikeda. While enjoying a bowl of kelp broth called Kombu dashi, he noticed that the savoury flavour was distinct from the four basic tastes of sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. He named this additional taste “umami,” which literally means “essence of deliciousness” in Japanese. Dr. Ikeda eventually found the taste of umami was attributed to glutamate. It is though one of the core flavours of Eastern cuisine imparted by soy sauce and MSG (monosodium glutamate), it wasn’t accepted as a basic taste in the West until 1985.

The use of glutamate in cooking has a long history. Fermented fish sauces, which are rich in glutamate, were used widely in ancient Rome. Glutamate-rich fermented barley sauces were used in medieval Byzantine and Arab cuisine, and fermented fish sauces and soy sauces have histories going back to the third century in China.

Characteristics:

Foods and Umami flavour:

·       Meat:

According to the Glutamate Association, meat is ultimate umami food as it contains high levels of glutamate. Pork and chicken have decent amounts of glutamate and umami flavour, too.

·       Tomatoes:

This fruit is an awesome plant-source of glutamate and, thus, umami flavour with 246 mg of free glutamate per three and a half ounces of tomato, according to the Glutamate Association.

·       Seaweed:

Seaweeds are another one of the umami foods high in glutamate. Depending on the type of seaweed, glutamate levels are anywhere between 1,200 to 3,000 mg per three ounces of seaweed.

·       Seafood:

Oysters, shrimp, scallops, mackerel, tuna, and sardines are just some fish with natural umami flavour. Seafood naturally contains glutamate in addition to inosinate, an umami flavour compound that occurs naturally and as a food additive. Together, glutamate and inosinate boost and bring out umami flavour, research shows.

·       Green Tea:

Green tea has 32 mg of free glutamate per three and a half ounces of the beverage. The tea is also high in the amino acid theanine, which is similar to glutamate and also contributes to the bottom line umami flavour. A strong umami flavour is a tasty benefit of green tea.

·       Tree nuts:

Walnuts and almonds are an excellent way to add umami flavour to vegan meals. Try toasting the nuts and seeds for the best flavour.

·       Cheese:

The older and stronger the cheese, the better the umami taste. As cheese ages, it goes through proteolysis or breaking down into amino acids and raising the levels of free glutamic acid. Umami increases in foods that undergo fermentation and ripening. Italian parmesan is one of the especially tasty umami foods because it takes 24 to 36 months for the flavour to develop fully.

·       Mushrooms:

Mushrooms are a wonderful plant-based option to mimic that “meaty” flavour our taste buds adore. Dried mushrooms (like shitakes, porcinis, and more) have a significantly higher concentration of glutamates due to the reduction of moisture. Adding dried mushrooms to your soups and noodle bowls is a sure-fire way to boost flavour without loading up on salt.

·       Avocado:

An avocado definitely does not fit into any of the other categories, and umami is the closest category I could find that accurately encompasses the very mild flavour of an avocado.

Are foods with Umami bad for you?

Glutamate has been saddled with an unsavoury reputation due to its association with the food additive Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), which some consumers claim to cause headaches, tingling, and sweating. Scientific studies have not found a relationship between these symptoms and the presence of MSG in food, and the FDA has classified the additive as “safe for consumption”. In fact, naturally-occurring glutamates have been shown to be an effective flavour enhancer for consumers, thus reducing the need for added sodium in our diets.

Musharrafa Asad

References:

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• o   Umami in Foods White Paper.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://www.andeal.org/vault/2440/web/Umami%20in%20Foods%20White%20Paper.pdf
• o   Umami: The Fifth Taste | International Glutamate Information Service. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://glutamate.org/basic/umami-fifth-taste/
• o   What Are Taste Buds? (For Kids)—Nemours KidsHealth. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/taste-buds.html
• o   What Does Avocado Taste Like? Let Me Tell You. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/what-does-avocado-taste-like
• o   What Does Umami Taste Like? (n.d.-b). Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-umami-1664724
• o   What Is Umami? 14 Foods with Natural Umami | Reader’s Digest. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.rd.com/list/13-foods-with-natural-umami