Flavour enhancers in food products

by Valeria Merlo and Daniele Boglio, Eurofins Chemical Control

The flavour enhancers glutamate and the ribonucleotides - inosine monophosphate (IMP) and guanosine monophosphate (GMP) - play a major role in the so-called fifth taste (Umami, coming from the Japanese adjective umail which means delicious); in fact they enhance the taste and/or aroma of a food product. The other four wellknown basic taste qualities are salty, sweet, bitter and sour.

Glutamate is naturally present in many foods such as ripened cheese, soy sauce and tomatoes. The nucleotide IMP is abundant in meat and some fish products, while some mushrooms, oysters and meat are rich in nucleotide GMP.

Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008, dated 16/12/2008, harmonises the use of food additives in foods and regulates the use of flavour enhancers as food additives (see Tab.1).

However when present in a food together they are synergistic. In fact it has been demonstrated that the interaction between glutamate and IMP or GMP creates amplified taste perceptions in comparison with those generated by a single ingredient. This justifies the simultaneous presence of nucleotides and glutamate in food products such as stock cubes, ready-toeat meals and salty snacks.

Eurofins offers the determination of flavour enhancers in food matrices using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry [HPLC-MS/MS].

Contact: Valeria Merlo