New developments in umami (enhancing) molecules

As health has become one of the main drivers in nutrition, the scientific interest in taste receptors and taste molecules has increased considerably. Academia as well as flavor and food companies are searching for molecules that make food more healthy but not less appetizing. In the savory area, salt and umami taste are being investigated. This review deals with the progress made in umami tasting molecules. Umami taste has been known as a separate taste for a long time in Asian countries and has been generally accepted as the fifth basic taste in the last decade of the previous century. In this review, first the current level of understanding of the umami receptors will be described. The main part of the paper will deal with the umami-tasting molecules that have been published recently, including the work that has been performed within Givaudan itself. Lactoyl amides of GMP (guanosine monophosphate) appeared to have remarkably strong umami-tasting properties.