1) The document discusses umami, the savory taste, and MSG. It explains that umami is detected by glutamate receptors on the tongue and is found naturally in foods through glutamic acid and synergized by ribonucleotides. 2) Chef Chris Koetke relates his experience of being convinced of umami after a student encouraged him to try MSG on scrambled eggs. He demonstrates where umami is found in foods. 3) The document reviews MSG safety and establishes MSG as safe according to international health organizations while acknowledging people's concerns. It encourages exploring umami's role in cooking.

1. Uncovering the Mysteries
of Umami and MSG
Lisa Watson
The Glutamate Association

2. Show of Hands

3. Nutri&on
Food
Safety
TASTE!
Christopher Koetke, MBA, CEC, CCE
Vice President Culinary Arts
Kendall College
A Little Help from my Friend

4. On “Believing”
§ TRANSCRIPT: VIDEO CLIP OF CHRIS KOETKE
Now, interestingly enough, I haven’t always believed in umami. In fact, I, like a
lot of people, were sort of on the fence if it really existed, and certainly I didn’t
want to use MSG. But one day in one of my classes I was teaching, I
remember talking with a student from the Philippines, and in – in the lecture
that day I had mentioned about how we don’t use MSG in our kitchen because
it’s a little suspect or whatever. And afterwards, the student came up to me and
she said, you know chef, I don’t get it, what is it about MSG, because when I’m
at home, my mom has it in the kitchen and we grew up eating it on a lot of
things. Now all of a sudden I’ve sort of got this question mark in my head. And
then she says, chef, have you ever tried it on scrambled eggs? And so right
then in the kitchen we made some scrambled eggs, ‘cause I was curious, and
she put in the MSG and I couldn’t believe the flavor boost. And it was that day
that I started thinking, you know, maybe there’s something to this umami thing.
Ø View video online here: http://youtu.be/PLgKDLqL9Mc

5. Today’s Umami Journey
Umami—does it really exist? What does it taste like?
MSG and American food culture/lore
Foundation on glutamate for critical thinking
Glutamate and synergistic compounds in food

6. How is Food Interpreted
Through a process of physiological stimuli
and environmental factors
And each has its reason for existing

7. Detection Levels for
Basic Tastes

8. What is Umami?
§ Start with definitions
Ø Glutamic acid = glutamate = One of 20 amino acids
(protein)
Ø Free glutamic acid = one which is not bound to anything
else
Ø Umami = taste sensation derived from free glutamic
acid
Ø Ribonucleotide = molecule that boosts synergistically
umami flavor profile

9. History of Umami
§ Discovered and characterized by Professor K. Ikeda, 1908
§ Specific to “savory taste” of L-glutamate
§ Focus by public only fairly recent

10. Glutamate sources around the world

11. Where IS Umami Found?
§ TRANSCRIPT: VIDEO CLIP OF CHRIS KOETKE
So where do we find this umami flavor profile? In the kitchen it’s in a lot of
different places. It comes in fermented sauces like soy sauce and fish sauce or
maybe as a paste like miso, for instance, or in aged cheeses and in aged
hams, maybe in ripe fruits like tomato. You find umami in a lot of places, and
what means is that inside that food you have that free glutamic acid combining
with the sodium and voila, you have umami. Now you can also get this umami
flavor sensation through the use of MSG. And MSG is the purest form of the
umami flavor. Originally, it was derived from kambu or that big seaweed that
grows especially off the coast of Japan, and, in fact, that’s how umami was
discovered by taking the roth or dashi, that’s made from kambu and bonito
flakes, and reducing it down until it’s crystal in form, and that’s the discovery of
MSG.
Ø View video online here: http://youtu.be/2zuayLvO-wQ

12. And It Is Complicated…But REAL
To Brain
R
Ca2+
Store
[Ca2+]i
L-glutamate
GMP
IMP
G
2nd Messengers
G Protein-Coupled
Receptors
Na
TrpM5
++
ATP
T1R2 + T1R3
2000:
Specific
L-glutamate
taste
receptor
discovered.

13. “Venus Flytrap” Mechanism
Zhang et al., PNAS 106 (2008)

14. Background on Glutamate

15. Glutamic Acid in the Body
n One of 20 amino acids needed for life
n Most prevalent amino acid in the body
n We consume 10-20 g glutamic acid daily
n Our bodies manufacture about 50g per
day
n Key neurotransmitter in the brain
n Approximately 96% of dietary glutamate
used by gut mucosal cells as energy
source

16. Glutamic Acid in the Body
n 18 times more glutamate in human milk vs. cow
milk

17. GLUTAMATE IN FOODS

18. Enhancing Umami Taste Correlates with
Increasing Glutamate Concentration
§ Ripening
§ Maturation
§ Curing
§ Cooking
§ Adding
glutamate or
glutamate-rich
stock

19. Free vs. Total Glutamate (mg/100g)
Total Free
Cheddar cheese 6090 600
Parmesan cheese 8210 1600
Tomato 310 246
Corn 650 106
Umami receptors
detect free
glutamate.
Includes free
glutamate plus that
“bound” to protein

20. Ribonucleotide Synergy: Up to15-fold!
Zhang et al., PNAS 106 (2008)

21. Ribonucleotide Synergy:
The age-old wisdom of chefs
§ 5-Inosinate—meat based (i.e.
sardines, mackerel, tuna, pork, beef
and chicken)
§ 5-Guanylate—plant based (i.e.
mushrooms)
§ The magic of umami synthesis
Ø 1 + 1 = 4 or even 15!

22. Monosodium Glutamate
§ Sodium salt of glutamic acid
§ Favorable flavor profile compared to most other salts
of glutamic acid
§ Body recognizes it identically to free glutamic acid in
food
§ Good shelf stability
§ Recognized flavor enhancer
§ Common food additive

23. Making Glutamate Seasoning
Sugar
Fermentation
Separate/
Crystalize
Dry

24. Daily Consumption (mg) of Monosodium Glutamate
(Used as Flavor Enhancer) in Selected Countries
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
U.S.*
U.K.*
Japan**
Korea**
Taiwan
* Assumes 70 kg individual
** Assumes 60 kg individual

25. MSG Role in the Kitchen
§ Creates more fully rounded
flavor profile
§ Pure form of umami for
increasing umami without
additional flavor profiles
§ Useful in diets to reduce salt
(70% less sodium per teaspoon
than table salt--640 mg and
2,300 mg)
§ Useful in diets to reduce fat

26. The Elephant in the Room:
§ 1958 US FDA—Generally Recognized as Safe
(GRAS)
§ 1987 Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives
(JECFA) of UN Food and Agriculture Organization
confirms MSG is safe
§ 1991 European’s Commission’s Scientific Committee
for Food decides unnecessary to set Acceptable Daily
Intake level (ADI)
§ 1995 US FDA Federation of American Societies for
Experimental Biology (FASEB) confirms safety as
food ingredient
Is it safe?

27. But What About . . .

28. How I usually respond to questions . . .
§ Always respect what others feel and experience
§ Share basic information about glutamate and the
diet
§ Share basic information about safety studies
§ Stick with the facts – not my place to convince!

29. Final Thoughts from Chef Chris
§ TRANSCRIPT: VIDEO CLIP OF CHRIS KOETKE
So, you’ve learned about what this umami sensation is, you’ve learned
about where it comes from and how it’s made by different molecules
like ribonucleotides acting synergistically with that glutamate molecule
or the sodium and free glutamic acid, you know that. And you also
know that it’s a perfectly safe molecule to use in cooking.
Now, the next step is for you. Go in the kitchen and try it, put some
MSG on different products, put it into eggs, put it into soup and watch
what happens to the flavor perception, watch what happens to the
entire level of the flavor in the food. Give it a try, experiment, and I
think you’ll be surprised, happily surprised, with what you see.
Ø View video online here: http://youtu.be/y5CcGwNixj0

30. Thank you!
www.msgfacts.com
www.umamiinfo.com
www.glutamate.org