Umami
Stories
Stories
Every story and fact about umami that you
would want to know. You'll appreciate this
unique 5th basic taste of ours even more!
would want to know. You'll appreciate this
unique 5th basic taste of ours even more!
What Is Umami?
Umami is recognized as the 5th basic taste.
5 BASIC TASTES: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, and Umami
Scientifically, Umami is the taste of glutamate, an amino acid that is one of the building blocks of protein. This glutamate occurs naturally in the human body and in many delicious foods that we eat.
Umami Substances in Food
Umami Substances in Food
Glu : Glutamate
Ino : Inosinate
Gua : Guanylate
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 then named this additional taste UMAMI, which is a combination of the Japanese words “Umai” (meaning “delicious”) and “Mi” (meaning “taste”), and its taste is often described as meaty and savoury.
The 3 Distinct Properties of Umami Taste
It spreads across the tongue
It lasts longer than the other basic tastes
It provides a mouth-watering sensation
It spreads across the tongue
It lasts longer than the other basic tastes
It provides a mouth-watering sensation
The Secret of Delicious Dishes
How does Umami make our food delicious?
The answer is pretty simple:
Umami enhances the flavours of food by stimulating taste receptors. It harmonises the tastes of all the ingredients in a dish to produce a full-bodied blend of mouth-watering sensation. It makes your food richer, fuller, and meatier.
Umami is also easy to achieve! Whether intentionally or unintentionally, we often add umami boosters to our cooking.
Umami Boosters
Natural Ingredients
Chicken, beef, fish, shellfish, tomatoes, mushrooms, seaweeds
Seasonings
Soy sauce, Oyster sauce, of course, for the purest form of UMAMI, simple sprinkle a pinch of MSG over your food.
Natural Ingredients
1
Chicken, beef, fish, shellfish, tomatoes, mushrooms, seaweeds
Seasonings
2
Soy sauce, Oyster sauce, of course, for the purest form of UMAMI, simple sprinkle a pinch of MSG over your food.
How MSG Is Made
Do you know how AJI-NO-MOTO® is made?
Umami Helps Reduce Sodium Intake
Umami allows salt content in cooking to be reduced without compromising on taste. And this can be done by simply replacing some salt with MSG.
Why MSG:
MSG maintains the palatability of less-sodium meals.
By adding MSG, the sodium level in the food can be
reduced by up to 40%*.
reduced by up to 40%*.
MSG has been classed as safe by the US FDA and the
Joint FAO / WHO Expert Committe on Food Additives.
Joint FAO / WHO Expert Committe on Food Additives.
The percentage of salt reduction depends on the food used and its condition
How To Reduce Sodium
39%
Sodium in Table Salt
12%
Sodium in MSG
