Because umami has highly specific receptors (unlike the other tastes of bitter, salty, sweet, and sour), it has been granted its own taste title.įoods with free, naturally occurring glutamate We taste umami via taste receptors that are specific to glutamate. These and other foods are sources of natural glutamate, a substance that is primarily responsible for what is known as the “fifth taste”-aka umami. It is present in the human body as well as in many foods, such as seaweed, mushrooms, peas, and cheese. The term “glutamate” refers to various forms of glutamic acid, a non-essential amino acid that is among the most abundant ones found in nature.
This synthetically derived ingredient is composed nearly entirely of glutamate and is very potent, which means it takes just a few drops to dramatically boost the flavor of whatever food to which it is added…so it’s easy to see why food producers and restaurant owners fell in love with MSG. The MSG we know today was first produced by a Japanese food scientists named Kikunae Ikeda in 1908, who spearheaded the commercial development of this flavor enhancer. However, MSG is actually available in two forms: the man-made variety that can trigger undesirable symptoms and which is added to a wide variety of processed food items, and the all-natural form that is found in a wide range of foods. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) received much of its bad publicity because of its tendency to cause allergic reactions in certain people.