Our two experts at Biospringer North America presented a webinar about the umami taste, a largely unknown taste that is becoming one of the hottest trends in food service. Here is quick a summary of their presentation, before you ask for the replay :
What is umami?
Umami taste has been identified in 1908 by Kikunae Ikeda and officially recognized as the 5th taste in the 1980’s. It has been added to saltiness, sweetness, bitterness and sourness.
Where does umami come from?
“Umami” is the word chosen by its discoverer. In Japanese, it means “savory taste”. Kikunao Ikeda discovered it while making a miso soup. As he was unable to describe it with the already known tastes, he decided to name it “umami”.
How to describe umami?
Umami is a pleasant, mouth-filling, lingering taste. It stimulates salivation and activates the brain’s pleasure zones. Although it is associated with the Japanese cuisine because of its origins, it is also widely used around the world. It is often used in concentrated products such as the parmesan, and widely associated with salty notes.
What are its benefits?
In the food service, chefs are experimenting with ways to develop more robust and unique flavor profiles through umami. Umami can help a lot with reducing the salt content of your application.
