July 25: Learn the History of the Fifth Taste | Press

The fifth taste was discovered in 1908 by Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese researcher who identified a different and peculiar taste, distinct from the others (salty, sweet, bitter, and sour).

July 25 is the official date of the discovery of Umami, the fifth basic taste of the human palate, which turns 105 in 2013. The Japanese term means “savory” or “delicious” in Portuguese. The fifth taste was discovered in 1908 by Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese researcher who found a different and peculiar taste—unlike the others (salty, sweet, bitter, and sour)—and named it Umami. But only in the year 2000 did scholars at the University of Miami, led by researcher Nipura Chaudhari, confirm the presence of a specific receptor for Umami on the tongue, mGluR4. After this confirmation, several other studies were carried out to better understand the characteristics and particularities of the “new” taste.

The main representative of the fifth taste is the amino acid glutamate, found especially in foods of animal origin, such as cheeses and meats. Other substances, such as the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate—present in foods of various origins, mainly meats, vegetables, and fungi—also confer Umami (see the list of key foods on the Umami Portal).

Hellen Maluly, a professor of bromatology and an Umami specialist, explains how to identify the fifth taste. “Two main characteristics set Umami apart from the others: increased salivation and the lingering taste for about a few minutes after ingesting the food,” she clarifies.

According to Hellen, Parmesan cheese, a food naturally rich in Umami, is a great example for understanding the fifth taste. “After ingesting Parmesan cheese, we sense a taste that remains on the surface of the tongue for a few minutes, after the salty taste fades. In a general sense, that is the Umami taste,” the specialist illustrates.

Umami Committee
The Umami Committee Brazil is a group created to discuss and disseminate topics related to the fifth basic taste of the human palate. It is linked to the Umami Information Center (UIC), a non-profit organization dedicated to research on the subject.

The group supports two international events that will take place in August in Brazil:

São Paulo

• Event: 1st International Symposium on Umami
• Date: August 14, 2013
• Time: 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Venue: Blue Tree Hotel
• Address: Rua Peixoto Gomide, 707 – Cerqueira César/SP
• Registration: Free and open to physicians and nutritionists until 07/20 via email: credenciamento@agenciarace.com.br
• Note: Teaching materials and certificates will be provided.
  All lectures will have simultaneous translation.

Rio de Janeiro

• Event: 1st Latin American Symposium on Umami: State of the Art in Sensory Aspects
• Date: August 16, 2013
• Time: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Venue: The Windsor Barra Hotel
• Address: Av. Lúcio Costa, 2630 – Barra da Tijuca/RJ
• Organization: Brazilian Society of Food Science and Technology in partnership with the Umami Committee.
• Support: International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI)
• Registration: www.sbcta.org.br/index.php?acao=documento&valor=1095&pg=0

Note: Teaching materials and certificates will be provided.
All lectures will have simultaneous translation.