Umami: An Alternative Japanese Approach to Reducing Sodium While Enhancing Taste Desirability

Nomura, Shuhei; Ishizuka, Aya; Tanaka, Shiori; Yoneoka, Daisuke; Uneyama, Hisayuki; Shibuya, Kenji

doi:10.4236/health.2021.136047

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In recent years, the replacement of sodium chloride (NaCl, the chemical name for salt) with umami has been discussed as a healthy and natural solution to reduce salt intake (16)(17)(18) . Umami, which means pleasant savoury taste in Japanese, is induced by monosodium glutamate (MSG) and 5'-ribonucleotides, such as guanosine monophosphate and inosine monophosphate.…”

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confidence: 99%

Salt intake reduction using umami substance-incorporated food: a secondary analysis of NHANES 2017–2018 data

Nomura

Tanaka²,

Eguchi

et al. 2022

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: Excessive salt intake raises blood pressure and increases the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and stomach cancer. Reducing the sodium content of food is an important public health measure to control the NCDs. This study quantifies the amount of salt reduced by using umami substances, i.e., glutamate, inosinate, and guanylate, for adults in the United States (US). Design: The secondary data analysis was performed using data of the US nationally representative cross-sectional dietary survey, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018. Per capita daily salt intake corresponding to the NHANES food groups was calculated in the four hypothetical scenarios of 0%, 30%, 60%, and 90% market share of low-sodium foods in the country. The salt reduction rates by using umami substances were estimated based on the previous study results. Setting: The United States Participants: 4,139 individuals aged 20 years and older in the US Results: Replacing salt with umami substances could help the US adults reduce salt intake by 7.31–13.53% (7.50–13.61% for women; 7.18–13.53% for men), which is equivalent to 0.61–1.13g/day (0.54–0.98g/day for women; 0.69–1.30g/day for men) without compromising the taste. Approximately, 21.21–26.04% of the US adults could keep their salt intake below 5 g/day, the World Health Organization’s recommendation in the scenario where there is no low-sodium product on the market. Conclusions: This study provides essential information that the use of umami substances as a substitute for salt may help reduce the US adults’ salt intake.

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confidence: 99%

Salt intake reduction using umami substance-incorporated food: a secondary analysis of NHANES 2017–2018 data

Nomura

Tanaka²,

Eguchi

et al. 2022

Public Health Nutr.

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“…Fourth, we did not consider possible changes in food intake as a result of umami substance incorporation to reduce salt intake. Umami flavour may increase overall food intake or decrease vegetable intake as the previous studies suggested that vegetable intake is associated with salt intake [ 84 – 86 ]. The changes in food intake could change the effects of umami substances on salt intake reduction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling of salt intake reduction by incorporation of umami substances into Japanese foods: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2023

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Background Evidence has demonstrated that excess sodium intake is associated with development of several non-communicable diseases. The main source of sodium is salt. Therefore, reducing salt intake in foods is an important global public health effort to achieve sodium reduction and improve health. This study aimed to model salt intake reduction with 'umami' substances among Japanese adults. The umami substances considered in this study include glutamate or monosodium glutamates (MSG), calcium diglutamate (CDG), inosinate, and guanylate. Methods A total of 21,805 participants aged 57.8 years on average from the National Health and Nutrition Survey was used in the analysis. First, we employed a multivariable linear regression approach with overall salt intake (g/day) as a dependent variable, adjusting for food items and other covariates to estimate the contribution of salt intake from each food item that was selected through an extensive literature review. Assuming the participants already consume low-sodium products, we considered three scenarios in which salt intake could be reduced with the additional umami substances up to 30%, 60% and 100%. We estimated the total amount of population-level salt reduction for each scenario by age and gender. Under the 100% scenario, the Japan’s achievement rates against the national and global salt intake reduction goals were also calculated. Results Without compromising the taste, the 100% or universal incorporation of umami substances into food items reduced the salt intake of Japanese adults by 12.8–22.3% at the population-level average, which is equivalent to 1.27–2.22 g of salt reduction. The universal incorporation of umami substances into food items changed daily mean salt intake of the total population from 9.95 g to 7.73 g: 10.83 g to 8.40 g for men and 9.21 g to 7.17 g for women, respectively. This study suggested that approximately 60% of Japanese adults could achieve the national dietary goal of 8 g/day, while only 7.6% would meet the global recommendation of 5.0 g/day. Conclusions Our study provides essential information on the potential salt reduction with umami substances. The universal incorporation of umami substances into food items would enable the Japanese to achieve the national dietary goal. However, the reduced salt intake level still falls short of the global dietary recommendation.

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“…Cutting back on salt will help combat the widespread COVID-19 pandemic as well as the high rates of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). By addressing these issues, nations will become more resilient to pandemic threats in the future ( Nomura et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Health Benefits Of Umami Compoundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Umami Characteristics and Taste Improvement Mechanism of Meat

Hossain,

Alam,

Lee

et al. 2024

Food Sci Anim Resour

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Taste is one of the five senses that detect vital information about what we are eating. Comprehending taste is crucial for enhancing the flavor of foodstuffs and high-protein foods like meat. Umami has global recognition as the fifth elementary taste, alongside sweetness, sourness, saltiness, and bitterness. Umami compounds are known to enhance the sensation of recognized flavors such as salty, sweet, bitter, and others. This could end up in greater food consumption by consumption by consumers. With the rising global population, meat consumption is rising and is projected to double by 2025. It is crucial to comprehend the umami mechanism of meat and meat products, identify novel compounds, and employ laboratory methodologies to gather varied information. This knowledge will aid in the development of new consumer products. Although very limited information is available on umami taste and compounds in meat through research data. This article discusses recent advancements in umami compounds in other foodstuff as well as meat to aid in designing future research and meat product development. Moreover, another objective of this review is to learn present techniques in foodstuffs to enhance umami taste and utilize that knowledge in meat products.

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Umami: An Alternative Japanese Approach to Reducing Sodium While Enhancing Taste Desirability

Cited by 5 publications

References 22 publications

Salt intake reduction using umami substance-incorporated food: a secondary analysis of NHANES 2017–2018 data

Salt intake reduction using umami substance-incorporated food: a secondary analysis of NHANES 2017–2018 data

Modelling of salt intake reduction by incorporation of umami substances into Japanese foods: a cross-sectional study

Umami Characteristics and Taste Improvement Mechanism of Meat

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