ABSTRACT
Umami is a basic taste that is elicited by the stimulation of umami receptors in the taste buds by the interaction with some free amino acids, in particular glutamate, often in synergy with free 5'-ribonucleotides such as inosinate, adenylate, and guanylate. Foods that are associated with strong umami taste are as common and diverse as matured and fermented cheeses, cured ham, sardine paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, sun ripe tomatoes, mushrooms, ketchup, etc. Umami was proposed as a basic taste based on an analysis of the components in the classical Japanese soup stock, dashi, which is made of an aqueous extract of a dried brown seaweed, konbu, and a highly processed fish product, katsuobushi. Umami as a basic taste was not immediately accepted, and it took almost 100 years after Ikeda’s discovery before it was commonly accepted among scientists. Fresh meat is a major source of umami, as it contains both glutamate and the nucleotides that create synergy.
