ISSN:
1750-3841
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
,
Process Engineering, Biotechnology, Nutrition Technology
Notes:
l-Phenylalanine (l-Phe) and l-tyrosine (l-Tyr) are L-α-aromatic amino acids that have recently been discovered to be important components of the savory fractions of soy sauce in addition to l-glutamate. Their effects are evaluated on the umami or savory taste of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG), with or without sodium chloride (NaCl). Because l-Phe at subthreshold concentration (1.0 mM) significantly enhances an umami taste of a MSG/NaCl mixture (P= 0.000), combinations of 4 subthreshold concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.5, and 5.0 mM) of l-Phe with a weakly suprathreshold MSG (4.0 mM) and NaCl (80 mM) mixture were then rated for salty and umami intensities relative to those of standard solutions. L-Phe was found to significantly enhance the umami tastes of the MSG/NaCl mixtures when it was added in a concentration range of 0.5 to 5.0 mM (P= 0.000). However, neither the umami taste of MSG alone nor the salty taste of NaCl alone was intensified. In a further experiment, l-Tyr at the 3 subthreshold concentrations (0, 0.5, and 1.5 mM) studied was shown to have the same activity as L-Phe. The phenomenon of umami or savory enhancement by subthreshold aromatic amino acids in the soy sauce system has been established.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2005.tb11483.x
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