The difference between a great meal and a ho-hum experience is more than a good recipe. The selection of ingredients, preparation methods and technique come into play. When a dish is superbly balanced, it becomes rich, full-bodied and maybe even craveable. Sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami tastes can combine to create an explosion of flavor sensation.
Enhancing flavor
A chef often chooses ingredients based on their naturally occurring flavor enhancers, such as the glutamates found in many vegeta-bles, meat proteins, cheese and soy sauce. On the bench, food developers may choose commercial products.
Glutamates are the carboxylate anions and salts of glutamic acid, the most-common amino acid. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. “Nothing else can compare to MSG for the delivery of umami taste,” says Joe Formanek, Ph.D., associate director, business development, application innovation, Ajinomoto Food Ingredients, LLC, Chicago. “If you’re looking at overall character enhancement, MSG is the best bang for the buck. It’s produced through a natural fermentation process. It simply has a lot of effect for a very low cost. MSG is umami in its purest form.”
Glutamates and nucleotides in a formulation can also deliver an umami character to the product. Formanek recommends using nucleotides (the 5′ ribonucleotides insonate and guanylate, in combination, are often called I&G) in conjunction with glutamates. MSG and I&G work synergistically and provide greater enhancement than when used alone.
While 5′ ribonucleotides are often used in combination with MSG, they may be used to enhance naturally occurring glutamates. “The nice thing about ribotides is they can all be used in the product to enhance the characteristics of the glutamates already found in that product,” says Formanek. “Many products already have glutamate, so even without adding extra glutamates, the addition of a small level of the nucleotides can enhance the characteristics that are naturally occurring in that product. We can help customers with different ap-plications to understand what levels of the nucleotides may be used with the level of glutamates in the product to deliver the desired en-hancement.”
Food scientists can also use ingredients like yeast extract and hydrolyzed vegetable proteins that contain naturally occurring nucleo-tides for enhancement, suggests Joanne Ferrara, senior director, R&D, Gilroy Foods and Flavors, Gilroy, CA. “With the need to reduce sodium in many existing supermarket products, product developers are investigating low-sodium solutions to combat this issue,” she says. “Potassium chloride (KCl) is used as an alternative, but also contributes bitterness if used at too high a level and by itself. A com-bination of KCl with salt, amino acids and some nucleotides can help mask the bitterness.” Umami can highlight sweetness and lessen bitterness.
Although bitterness is acceptable in certain products, such as coffee, notes Mindy Edwards, senior flavor chemist, Wixon, Inc., St. Francis, WI, “in most cases, bitterness is objectionable and needs to be covered. It is always beneficial to know where the bitterness is coming from and how bitter it is. To mask bitterness, a bitter masking agent may be used.”
For savory systems where MSG or I&G cannot be used, Edwards suggests using an umami enhancer. “If a high amount of salt is required in the finished product, salt will interfere with any flavor―in which case, a salt masking agent can be used. Because in certain products an intense sourness is required for preservation, one must know what type of acid is present and how much is in it. If the product is too sour, a sour masking agent may be needed.”
Developers should be aware of the kokumi characteristic of some foods. Like umami, it is a Japanese concept, but it relates more to richness and depth vs. initial enhancement. A great example is the comparison of the flavor of a chicken consommé at the beginning of the stewing process to that at the end. “The full-bodied mouthfeel and complexity of character that develops are examples of kokumi characteristics,” says Formanek. Once kokumi-rich ingredients are added to the formulation, “that product becomes much richer and complex, delivering a longer-lasting, more-enjoyable experience.”