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Fifth Palate Research Papers

Satisfactory Essays

Everyone’s amazing palates are not just made up of sweet, sour, salty and bitter taste- there is also a long debated euphoric fifth category called umami, and it may just be the favorite. Kikunae Ikeda is the brainchild behind the idea of umami and he discovered it nearly a century ago. The word umami (scientifically identified as L-Glutamate) is derived from a Japanese word that literally translates to “delicious” or “yummy”. This unique “yummy” fifth palate flavor combination can be discovered within many varieties of food anywhere from freshly prepared at home meals to expertly prepared meals within the food industry. Home cooks are most likely using umami flavors in everyday ingredients and are probably unaware that it’s the reason certain …show more content…

Various chefs around the world have begun creating dishes called “umami bombs”. These dishes focusing on piling on umami rich ingredients in order to produce an amazing explosive taste. Some of those explosive ingredients include bonito flakes (pieces of dried fish), Kombu (type of seaweed) and parmesan cheese. With the use of these special ingredient combinations, chefs believe they can make irresistible dishes that hone in on the sense of umami.
Also taking note is the major packaged food companies such as Campbell’s, Frito-Lay and Nestle. In their attempts to improve flavor and reduce sodium, fat, and sugar, they have begun ramping up umami flavoring. Consumers are also more label conscious and prefer to see natural umami ingredients listed compared to long chemical type additives, which is helping to fuel these changes. Frito-Lay has recently begun researching the use of umami ingredients from both Asian and Latin countries – such as fermented soybean products, anchovy powder and cheese powder. Another company related to the dairy industry has funded research related to what causes Swiss and cheddar cheeses to have umami characteristics. All of these companies hope to make umami flavors more quickly and consistently in both current and future

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