Thread: The taste of salt:

In Japan it's called "umami".

If your interested there's an article on Professor Kikunae Ikeda who discovered it in the early 1900's. A google search will give you a ton of information as well.

what does bitter taste like?... coffee with no cream and sugar?...

Grumble Grumble Grumble

'Savory', you must be talking about the 'MSG' taste. The biological sense sites on the tongue were discovered and described in the late 1990s. Not everyone has this taste sense, as tests have shown that up to 50% of the sample population lack the ability to detect monosodium glutamate...

It is known as that.

From Wikipedia:

Umami

Savoriness or umami is the name for the taste sensation produced by the free glutamates commonly found in fermented and aged foods, and in the additive monosodium glutamate (MSG), which was developed as a food additive in 1907 by Kikunae Ikeda, produces a strong umami taste. Umami is also provided by the nucleotides IMP (disodium 5’-inosine monophosphate) and GMP (disodium 5’-guanosine monophosphate). These are naturally present in many protein-rich foods. IMP is present in high concentrations in many foods, including dried Bonito flakes (Used to make Dashi, a japanese broth). GMP is present in high concentration in dried Shiitake mushrooms, used in much of Asian cooking. There is a synergistic effect between MSG, IMP and GMP which together in certain ratios produce a strong umami taste.
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It is believed that umami taste buds respond specifically to glutamate in the same way that "sweet" ones respond to sugar. Glutamate binds to a variant of G protein coupled glutamate receptors.

It is also found in mushrooms, seafoods, meats, and aged cheese.

There is also a press release from Nature Neuroscience from February 2000 on "Umami taste receptor identified".

I have never heard of the study you mentioned though. Do you have a resource on it? And would that actually prevent someone from tasting Umami/Savory since it actually comes from three different sources (glutamates, disodium 5’-inosine monophosphate, and disodium 5’-guanosine monophosphate) of which MSG is only a small part?

Grumble Grumble Grumble Grumble Grumble Grumble

Unfortunatly, I don't have a link for the source. My mind has a habit of absorbing scientific trivia like a wet sponge. Though some of the reports state that the 'MSG' receptor reacts with all 20 amino acids found in protiens, it just that Glutamate triggers the strongest reaction....

Originally Posted by LenMiyata

My mind has a habit of absorbing scientific trivia like a wet sponge.

Yeah, me too.

I found a study on a test they did with MSG and NaCl (salt) but I only know enough chemistry to get completely and thoroughly lost. I think it said that some people can't tell the difference between MSG and Salt and that there are mulitiple receptors for tasting them. I think....

i think salt is salt no matter what happens...