TasteSolutions® Umami... it’s all about taste

Adding soy to a dish
  • The fifth taste
  • Demand for label transparency
  • TasteSolutions® Umami
  • Keeping labels clean
  • Our portfolio
The fifth taste
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First used by Japanese housewives in 1909 as a substitute for meat stock, MSG produces a succulence and depth of flavour in cooking. Today, Givaudan is able to replicate this succulence without using MSG.

The fifth taste

Western kitchens have been very familiar with the taste sensations of umami-rich foods for some time. Originally, umami was used to describe the taste effect of monosodium glutamate (MSG), which consumers are familiar with from many common western foods such as cheddar cheese, Parma ham, onion, chicken, tuna... it is even present in mothers’ milk. Umami is now officially known as the ‘fifth taste’ along with sweet, sour, bitter and salty.

Demand for label transparency
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The demand for products with clean label and natural ingredients continues to rise; consumers are actively looking for umami-rich products with no added MSG. Despite the fact that MSG is naturally occurring, consumers often feel that the term ‘monosodium glutamate’ describes something unnatural.

With an increasing demand for label transparency and recognisable natural ingredients, food companies turn to Givaudan to deliver great tasting products with plenty of umami.

“Adding umami is like moving from two to three dimensions.”

Jean-Louis, Principal Flavourist Givaudan

TasteSolutions® Umami
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Chicken broccoli dish

TasteSolutions® Umami

By combining a scientific understanding of umami, together with our culinary expertise and knowledge of taste enhancement in food, Givaudan has developed TasteSolutions® Umami.

Through this programme we create flavours that impart the desirable umami qualities to foods, thanks to a portfolio of proprietary ingredients that has been assembled following culinary treks and taste treks.

These journeys of discovery have captured long-established cooking traditions that use umami to create delicious taste profiles.

    Keeping labels clean
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    Keeping labels clean

    Almost everyone, every day encounters umami in the foods they enjoy. With our holistic approach towards creation, Givaudan leverages state-of-the-art technology to master the taste balance between all angles including sweet, salty and mineral. Givaudan has solutions for all your umami needs across all savoury applications.

    With Givaudan, your consumers can enjoy that same ‘delicious taste’ but without added MSG.

    Do you want to learn more about new umami capabilities and flavours for Europe?

    Download the Umami brochure for Europe   Get in touch

    Our portfolio
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    Our portfolio

    Adding soy to a dish
    TasteSolutions® Umami
    TasteSolutions® Umami is combining a scientific understanding of umami, together with knowledge of taste enhancement in food.
    Vegetable wrap
    TasteSolutions® Freshness
    Our new TasteSolutions® Freshness technology revitalises convenience foods by making dishes taste like they were prepared just moments earlier.
    Bowl with spoon
    TasteSolutions® Richness
    With TasteSolutions® Richness you can conveniently bring the element of time to the food experience you provide your consumers.
    Brownie with icing
    TasteSolutions® Mouthfeel
    TasteSolutions® Mouthfeel provides a rich and rounded taste sensation on the tongue, while also reducing fat and calorie levels.
    Food in wooden bowls
    TasteSolutions® Saltiness
    TasteSolutions® Saltiness has all the flavour you need to reduce sodium levels in existing, and to develop new and innovative healthy products.
    Kids eating ice cream
    TasteSolutions® Sweetness
    With TasteSolutions® Sweetness, we’ll help you achieve the right sweetness by providing flavour alternatives while keeping your product’s signature.