International speakers discuss the importance of flavor in food | Press

Event scheduled for late October in São Paulo will include a book launch.

The symposium “The Importance of Flavor in Food” will take place on Thursday, October 27, at the Pullman São Paulo Ibirapuera Hotel, in the city of São Paulo, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The meeting will discuss three topics related to food acceptance: the chemical aspect, the metabolic aspect, and neuronal action. Three international experts will speak at the event, which is organized by the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) with the collaboration of the Institute for Glutamate Sciences in South America (IGSSA).

The first speaker will be Prof. Dr. Teresa Blanco, from the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences, with a talk entitled “Amino acids, peptides, and proteins in the world of flavor.” In her presentation, Prof. Dr. Teresa will address compounds such as amino acids, peptides, and proteins that are naturally present in foods and perform different functions in the body. These functions are mainly related to energy production as well as to enhancing the flavor of foods. Dr. Shintaro Yoshida, a representative of the Umami Information Center, will be the second speaker, exploring the topic “Physiology and benefits of the umami taste, the fifth basic taste.” Little known to the general public, umami has been recognized since 2000 as the fifth basic taste of the human palate, and Dr. Shintaro will explain how the body receives the umami taste and the different reactions that occur when we come into contact with it, in addition to its benefits.

Finally, Prof. Dr. Edmund Rolls, from the Oxford Centre for Computational Neuroscience, will address “The neuroscience of the umami taste: what makes it delicious.” Edmund will explain how gustatory stimulation acts in different areas of the brain and why umami makes foods more flavorful.

Attending the symposium as audience members will be professionals in the food field—such as physicians, nutritionists, pharmacists, and food engineers—as well as journalists focused on health.

Launch of the book Umami and Glutamate – Chemical, Biological, and Technological Aspects

After the talks, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., there will be a launch of the book Umami and Glutamate – Chemical, Biological, and Technological Aspects. The publication, to be distributed by Plêiade Publishing, considers the existence of the fifth basic taste, umami, and its principal representative, the amino acid glutamic acid (also called glutamate). The book has an educational foundation and will be donated to teaching and research institutions and to food industry professionals who need additional information on metabolism, safety, and the application of umami substances in foods.