The Sixth Flavor ? Kokumi ?

Kokumi might be considered the sixth flavor, except your tongue doesn't perceive its taste. Instead, it enhances the flavors sweet, salty, and umami; hence the dishes made at the kokumi demonstration were largely meat based and involved curing, braising, or roasting.

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Kokumi is from the Japanese words for "rich" (koku) and "taste" (mi). While kokumi doesn't impart a taste by itself, it functions by enhancing other tastes and aromas through a specific set of receptors on the tongue known as calcium-sensing receptors. Through these receptors, kokumi improves continuity, mouthfeel and body in vegan and vegetarian products.

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Similar to umami, the concept of kokumi has always been around, but we didn't have a name for it until Ajinomoto Researchers in Tokyo discovered what we now know are kokumi substances in the 1980's.

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Within a garlic extract, two compounds were identified that deliver the rich taste we now know as kokumi: S-allyl-cysteine sulfoxide (alliin) and glutathione (γ-Glu-Cys-Gly). These compounds substantially enhance the continuity, mouth fullness, and thickness when added to plant-based applications.

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Umami and kokumi are essential for balanced flavor and satisfying taste in savory applications. Ajinomoto's extensive portfolio of high-quality ingredients such as MSG, yeasts, and yeast extracts, can help deliver the depth and deliciousness of umami and kokumi tastes in most plant-based applications."

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