Glutamate is one of the most abundant amino acids in nature, accounting for up to 8-10% of most dietary proteins and peptides and most tissues. Only the free form of glutamate has taste-enhancing ...properties as a unique umami taste, and when glutamate is bound to proteins, it is tasteless with no umami taste. Fermentation, ageing, ripening and heat cooking are typical natural processes of protein hydrolysis during which free glutamate is released. The food industry most commonly uses it in the form of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in amounts between 0.1 and 0.8% as a flavour enhancer. Since the beginning of the 21st century, its use as a flavour enhancer in meat and meat products with reduced salt content has become more widespread. The sodium content of MSG (12.28 g/100 g) is one-third that of salt (39.34 g/100 g), making MSG a promising salt alternative in sodium reduction strategies. There is no one-sided and conclusive scientific information reporting adverse human health effects of MSG in the general population, and it is still considered safe. However, in the wake of "clean label" initiatives, many consumers would prefer not to have additives or flavour enhancers such as glutamates in their food. This can be overcome by the known synergistic effect of natural 5'-ribonucleotides and glutamates found in seaweed, cheese, fish sauce, yeast extract, soy sauce, fermented soybeans and tomatoes, as they enhance the overall perception of umami flavour.
Glutamate is one of the most abundant amino acids in nature, accounting for up to 8-10% of most dietary proteins and peptides and most tissues. Only the free form of glutamate has taste-enhancing ...properties as a unique umami taste, and when glutamate is bound to proteins, it is tasteless with no umami taste. Fermentation, ageing, ripening and heat cooking are typical natural processes of protein hydrolysis during which free glutamate is released. The food industry most commonly uses it in the form of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in amounts between 0.1 and 0.8% as a flavour enhancer. Since the beginning of the 21st century, its use as a flavour enhancer in meat and meat products with reduced salt content has become more widespread. The sodium content of MSG (12.28 g/100 g) is one-third that of salt (39.34 g/100 g), making MSG a promising salt alternative in sodium reduction strategies. There is no one-sided and conclusive scientific information reporting adverse human health effects of MSG in the general population, and it is still considered safe. However, in the wake of "clean label" initiatives, many consumers would prefer not to have additives or flavour enhancers such as glutamates in their food. This can be overcome by the known synergistic effect of natural 5'-ribonucleotides and glutamates found in seaweed, cheese, fish sauce, yeast extract, soy sauce, fermented soybeans and tomatoes, as they enhance the overall perception of umami flavour. Keywords: monosodium glutamate, sodium reduction, flavour enhancers, sensory properties, meat products Glutamat je jedna od najzastupljenijih aminokiselina u prirodi, koja cini 8-10% vecine prehrambenih proteina i peptida te vecine tkiva. Samo slobodnà oblik glutamata ima svojstva poboljsanja okusa hrane poznat kao jedinstveni umami okus, a kada je glutamat vezan na proteine, bezukusan je i nemá umami doprinos. Fermentacija, odlezavanje, zrenje i toplinska obrada tipicni su prirodni procesi hidrolize proteina tijekom kojih se oslobada slobodnà glutamat. Prehrambena industrija ga najcesce koristi u obliku mononatrijevog glutamata (MSG) u kolicinama izmedu 0,1 i 0,8% kao pojacivac okusa. Od pocetka 21. stoljeca sve je rasirenija njegova primjena kao pojacivaca okusa mesa i mesnih proizvoda sa smanjenim udjelom soli. Sadrzaj natrija u MSG-u (12,28 g/100 g) iznosi jednu trecinu sadrzaja soli (39,34 g/100 g), sto cini MSG obecavajucom alternativom soli u strategijama smanjenja natrija. Ne postoje jed nostra ne i uvjerljive znanstvene informacije o stetnim ucincima MSG-a na Ijudsko zdravlje u opcoj populaciji, a jos uvijek se smatra sigurnim. Medutim, u svjetlu inicijative "clean label", mnogi potrosaci radije ne bi konzumirali aditive ili pojacivace okusa kao sto su glutamati. To se mze prevladati poznatim sinergistickim úcinkom prirodnih 5'-ribonukleotida i glutamata koji se nalaze u morskim algama, siru, ribljem umaku, ekstraktu kvasca, sojinom umaku, fermentiranoj soji i rajcicama, jer oni pojacavaju ukupnu percepciju umami okusa. Kljucne rijeci: mononatrijev glutamat, redukcija natrija, pojacivaci okusa, senzorska svojstva, mesni proizvodi
