Umami: desmistificando o quinto sabor

Abstract

Humans have the ability to perceive the five basic flavors in food, whose sensory perception produced a feeling of protection and natural selection of nutrients essential for survival, and rejection of dangerous foods, ability to discernment that enabled the consumption of nutritious and safe foods. The dangers can be avoided by sensing the acidity of immature fruits, deteriorated organic acids and the bitterness from alkaloids. Basic flavors have always been in the lives of Brazilians and are observed in the domestic sphere and studied since basic education, but how many flavors? The research developed indicates that the majority of Brazilians only know four basic tastes: salty, sweet, sour and bitter, ignoring the fifth taste, recognized by science and named as umami. Discovered in Asia at the beginning of the 20th century by Japanese professor Kikunae Ikeda. Umami is already widely used in culinary because it is present in the composition of various foods of animal origin and vegetable. The lack of knowledge about umami is not only linked to the scientific and permeates the daily lives of Brazilians, since the use of products that have the The addition of this flavor makes it possible to reduce salt without major sensory loss. The search was carried out with higher education students in gastronomy from different states in Brazil and pointed out a gap in knowledge regarding the topic, which could be a important educational tool in reducing public health problems, such as hypertension and degenerative diseases of food origin. In addition to its use in cases of hypogeusia and ageusia recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic, maximizing basic flavors with the incorporation of umami taste in culinary preparations.