As the food industry constantly is researching and introducing new and innovative food products, the bold and craveable umami flavor is front and center.
Umami is important because it addresses a growing demand for foods and drinks that not only taste good but also provide a rewarding, rich flavor experience (savoriness, in this case).
According to an article in Prepared Foods magazine:
“Over the past few decades, umami has evolved from a niche concept in the culinary world to more of a mainstream idea. It’s no longer just a secret used by Michelin Star chefs – umami is now a key selling point in everything from snacks to seasonings, drinks to desserts. Chefs and food manufacturers alike have embraced this taste, which has led to an explosion of umami-rich products and a growing consumer awareness of how it can help enhance their culinary experiences.”
Taking Chips to a New Level
Here’s what Mashed.com had to say about Frito-Lay’s recent innovation:
“Frito-Lay may have released over a hundred varieties of Doritos® since its inception, but the sweet and spicy tortilla chips in purple-colored bags rank among some of the best Doritos flavors that exist today.
“So, what makes this flavor so popular and why is it so hard to put down a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos? Where most Doritos flavors tend to lean towards cheese and tomato-centric flavors, the mild heat, subtle sweetness, and a bucket load of savory umami tang is what makes the Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos a fan favorite.
“And the source of this complex flavor can be mostly traced back to one secret ingredient: soy sauce. As well as monosodium glutamate or MSG, Doritos lists soy sauce fairly high up on the ingredient list of its spicy sweet chili chips, both of which are popular flavor enhancers used in packaged food. More importantly, soy sauce is an excellent source of umami — the fifth taste which translates to the “essence of deliciousness” in the Japanese language. Considering the deliciousness that umami-filled soy sauce packs, it’s easy to see why those Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos are so darn hard to put down.”
Elusive, aka Indescribably Delicious
Last year, Johnnie Walker, the world’s number one Scotch Whisky brand, released an “Umami Whisky” labeled “Johnnie Walker Blue Label Elusive Umami.”
From the company’s press release:
“In their pursuit to decode one of the world’s most mysterious flavors, we set out on a journey of flavor discovery, endeavoring to create a blend that encapsulates the enigmatic taste of umami. The result – a beautifully balanced Scotch whisky of sweet and savory flavors, with notes of blood oranges and red berries with sweet wood spice, a touch of smoked meat, a hint of salt and pepper with a long, sweet fruit finish.
“The blended Scotch is a collaboration between Johnnie Walker Master Blender Emma Walker and Chef Kei Kobayashi (of the three Michelin-star Paris restaurant Kei). ‘When we set out to create Johnnie Walker Blue Label Elusive Umami, it wasn’t just a blending experience, but a gastronomic exploration,’ Walker said. ‘Getting acquainted with the intensity of the umami flavor was the key to creating this exceptional Scotch Whisky.’”
Bringing Back the Pleasure of Eating
Holland & Barrett (UK) this year launched six innovative taste-boosting food products that help enhance flavor of foods for those experiencing changes to taste and smell (such as people affected by cancer and Covid). These products include:
- Soy & Honey Umami Paste – a combination of three umami-rich ingredients, soy sauce, honey and dried mushrooms, to create a flavor boost that makes all other ingredients in a dish more intense.
- Miso Honey – a rich umami miso which boosts the honey’s sweetness. The outcome being rich, decadent flavor notes that can be used to enhance both sweet and savory dishes.
- White Chocolate & Miso Raspberries – a fusion of umami-rich miso and white chocolate sweet cocoa butter, to result in a sweet, salt and savory balance that makes the chocolate bar intense and satisfying.
Limited Edition, but Not Limited in Taste
Earlier this year, Canadian whisky maker Bearface released its own umami spirit, called Matsutake 01.
According to Men’s Journal, “Matsutake 01 is the first bottle of Bearface’s new Wilderness Series. The limited-edition release was made with matsutake mushrooms, a scarce brown and white fungi found in Vancouver. By infusing three special casks with the mushrooms then aging the barrels for six months before blending with the other casks, Bearface imparted unique flavors to the final whisky. The result is complex, with savory and cinnamon notes, followed by wild, earthy warmth, and an umami finish.”
What Umami-Enhanced Products are on the Horizon?
Many studies have been conducted to explore the effects of salt reduction in foods by incorporating umami seasoning in the form of MSG. Specifically, umami holds the healthy promise for reducing sodium intake while preserving or enhancing the salty taste in food products. MSG has two-thirds less sodium than table salt.
The “palatability benefits” of using MSG in reduced-sodium soups has been extensively studied. Some of the latest promising product research is investigating sodium reduction in breads and baked goods, using MSG as a partial salt substitute to maintain desirable flavor.
According to Food Business News, “Bread and baked goods represent the leading source of sodium consumption for U.S. consumers. This is not due solely to the amount of sodium in these products, but rather the high quantities of these foods the average American eats. Reducing sodium alone often compromises the palatability and consumer acceptance of foods, particularly in bread and baked goods where salt plays a crucial role in both flavor and texture. That’s where umami comes in.”
“Dr. Soo-Yeun Lee, a sensory scientist, professor and director of the School of Food Science at Washington State University, has done extensive research on how umami can help reduce sodium in bread and other baked goods, particularly when it comes to palatability and consumer acceptance of lower-sodium breads.” Using a series of taste tests, Dr. Lee’s research found that breads with reduced sodium content (set at the FDA’s long-term goal) that were supplemented with MSG had little to no difference in consumer acceptance when compared to full-sodium breads.
Sources:
- PreparedFoods.com (umami flavor)
- Mashed.com (new Doritos®)
- InsideHook.com (Johnnie Walker umami whisky)
- Holland & Barrett
- MensJournal.com (Bearface umami whisky)
- FoodBusinessNews.net (reduced sodium bread)
Photo credits:
- Eating Tortilla Chips Phillip Goldsberry
- Whisky by Inspo
- Tuna with Umami Paste by Jonathan Forage
- Bread by Stephanie Harvey
