Taste-active Components in Foods, with Concentration on Umami Compounds

A century ago, an amino acid, L-glutamate (Glu), was found to be the important substance for umami (savory) taste of a Japanese soup stock cooked with sea tangle. Since that time, umami seasoning has been used to make foods palatable all over the world. Chemical analysis proved that Glu had been used for savory seasonings around the world, though its taste had been hidden behind the flavors of fat or herbs. Recently, research has shown that Glu affects the chemical senses not only in the oral cavity but also in the gastrointestinal tract, and it modulates the ingestion, digestion and metabolism of proteins. Umami taste, one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, salty, sour and bitter tastes, derived from Japanese cuisine, might be applicable for the nutritional care of elderly people, who are at risk for protein malnutrition even in developed countries.