The Ajinomoto Renaissance

A new word for an old taste… Umami

The flavour of food is determined by various factors including taste, smell, colour, temperature and overall appearance, as well as by physiological or psychological conditions. Some of the most important factors are the basic ‘tastes’ of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami.

Umami, the fifth basic taste, is an integral part of cuisine around the world. For example, the fish sauces of Southeast Asia, the bouillon of Europe, the ‘dashi’ of Japan and the shrimp paste (belacan) of Malaysia. Dishes as diverse as Italy’s lasagna and China’s braised mushrooms in oyster sauce have umami in common.

Just over a century ago, a Japanese scientist, Professor Kikunae Ikeda, began research to ascertain the true nature of ‘deliciousness’. He discovered that glutamate – an amino acid – was responsible for the taste in ‘dashi’, the Japanese soup stock made from konbu (a type of seaweed). He coined the term umami to describe this taste in 1908. Although there is no English word for it, umami is the “savoury” or “broth-like” taste imparted by glutamate in meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products.

With the discovery of umami, Professor Ikeda tried to develop a new flavouring substance based on glutamate, compatible with the natural taste of foods. He found that Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) was an ideal flavour enhancer because it produced a strong umami taste, was readily soluble in water, had high stability, absorbed no humidity and can be applied to a variety of foods.

MSG under the brand name of AJI-NO-MOTO® was first marketed in Japan in 1909. The raw materials used for the production of AJI-NO-MOTO® come from natural sources such as sugar cane, tapioca, sago, etc. It is produced through a fermentation process similar to that used to produce soy sauce, vinegar, fermented rice, yoghurt, etc.

A new word for an old taste... Umami.

Umami is more than just taste.

The new role of the Umami substance... glutamate