Since umami was discovered in Japan, it has attracted global attention, driven by food manufacturers with a strong interest in full and intense tastes. Bell Flavors & Fragrances EMEA has uncovered the secret of umami and developed a new range of natural umami flavors, especially designed for the use in clean label food products to work as a natural alternative to MSG or other taste enhancers.

Science of Umami

Umami derives from the Japanese words UMAI (delicious) and MI (taste). As one of the five primary tastes next to sweet, sour, salty and bitter, it can be described as brothy, savory and meaty, with long-lasting mouthfeel and body. In scientific terms, umami is defined as the taste of salts combining glutamate (basically found in foods like tomatoes, onions, seaweed, soy sauce or shrimp), inosinate (mainly found in meat products) or guanylate (which occurs in foods like truffle or dried oyster mushroom).

Flavor Catalyst Umami

Experiments on the tongue’s areas of taste receptivity have shown that umami is perceived all across the tongue. Due to its persistence, umami is found to linger for several minutes, suggesting that it has a major impact on the aftertaste of foods. Umami also promotes salivation – an important determinant to sense taste. With regard to the perception of taste, umami can be considered a secret ingredient that partners, layers, balances and acts as a flavor catalyst to synergistically make a dish or a product more interesting and desirable. Umami-rich ingredients contribute to a savory taste for increased flavor impact, acceptance and preference and therefore may help provide the “missing links” in recipes by rounding out and heightening the flavor of foods and closing gaps in taste by balancing the overall taste impression.

Consumers are focusing on weight management, eating better, and making health-conscious choices that rival convenience in determining food purchases. The flavor-enhancing capabilities of umami can help drive selection of such nutritional foods by balancing the taste and imparting fuller flavor with less total sodium and calories.

The “Umami Effect”

Umami has become an increasingly important tool for balancing food products and foodservice dishes. With the consumers’ aspiration to remain healthy and active, the market is growing with new opportunities in product development – making it increasingly important to create natural, clean label and healthy products without compromising on taste.

“By unifying our creative expertise in savory solutions with the scientific understanding of umami, we were able to develop a range of umami flavors that will help new product developments face the challenges of today´s food business by providing a natural alternative to MSG and other flavor enhancers,” says Agneta Hoffmann, Marketing Specialist at Bell´s Savory Division.

Bell´s natural umami flavor range provides an umami or savory taste, a rounded mouthfeel and imparts a full-bodied perception of taste. All flavors are applicable for a wide range of savory products, like soups, sauces, ready meals, meat, snacks or seasonings. The complex and strong umami profiles are designed to deliver excellent results due to a more concentrated form and provide a perfect response to consumers’ concerns regarding halal-conformity, GMO-free, animal-free, palm oil- and allergen-free as well as vegan products.

Earlier in the week, Bell Flavors and Fragrances announced the introduction of Sweetech technology as a smarter flavor enhancer alternative for the food and beverage industry.