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International Women’s Day: discover women’s contributions in studies on umami and MSG

March/2023

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The specialists of the Umami Committee research everything from taste perception to the safety of consuming food additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG)

São Paulo, March 2023 – What do computer programming, radioactivity theory, wireless communication, electric refrigeration, and disposable diapers have in common? They are all inventions that revolutionized history and were discovered or created by women¹.

On this March 8, International Women’s Day, it is necessary to highlight the work of all those who contribute in the fields of science and research, who represent one third of these specialists worldwide and this number continues to grow every day².

The Umami Committee, an entity responsible for disseminating umami, the fifth basic taste of the human palate, is proud to count on the partnership of Brazilian women dedicated to achieving the goal of making everyone know and appreciate this taste, whether through the research and dissemination of scientific studies, or through healthy and tasty culinary recipes.

In addition to being a delicious taste, umami helps diversify the food routine and provides health benefits. “It is recommended that the five basic tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami) can be appreciated through a diversity of foods. In this way, it is possible that the choice and/or preference for certain types of foods may compose diets with a greater variety of nutrients that can aid in immunological and intellectual development”³, suggests PhD in Food Science and Umami Committee consultant, Hellen Maluly, in her research on the subject.

Among the studies evaluated by the specialist, research was found that relates umami with the other four senses besides taste (smell, vision, hearing, and touch), how the taste can help in the diet of patients undergoing cancer treatment, the importance of its presence in breast milk, its perception in the brain, and many others that involve the power of the fifth taste⁴.

Umami means “delicious” or “savory” in Japanese and was discovered in 1908, although it was only recognized by the scientific community in the mid-2000s. The main component responsible for umami is the amino acid glutamate, naturally present in various types of foods, including tuna, mushrooms, tomato, peas, corn, eggs, meats, Parmesan cheese, as well as breast milk.

Nutritionist of the Umami Committee, Mariana Rosa, who is also a researcher and participated in studies having the fifth taste as the research object, conducted sensory analyses with consumers and argues that umami can be used as an excellent alternative for sodium reduction in the preparation of meals such as rice and ground beef⁵.

“In health, glutamate promotes increased salivation, aids in protein digestion, contributes to oral hygiene, helps with nutrition and immunity in the elderly, directly supports infant health, and improves food acceptance in chemotherapy patients. In meals, monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is the industrialized version of the glutamate naturally present in foods, is capable of giving more flavor to everyday dishes and its use can still reduce sodium in preparations by up to 37%,” explains Mariana.

There are still many references to women who contributed with research related to umami taste such as Kumiko Ninomyia (PhD from the School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Tokyo and director of the Umami Information Center), Ana San Gabriel (PhD and Global Communication Manager at Ajinomoto, Tokyo), Julie Mennella (PhD in Biopsychology from the University of Chicago, Researcher at Monell Chemical Senses), among others. This fact shows how much women can contribute to the advancement of sensory and consumer sciences and also to other discoveries yet to come.

References:

UMAMI
It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in the year 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste on the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and the continuity of taste for a few minutes after food ingestion. To learn more, visit www.portalumami.com.br.