The New York Academy of Science in downtown Manhattan was the setting for a seminar and luncheon that featured cutting edge science with a healthy dose of good taste. Leading influencers in the US food and nutrition arena, including food writers, chefs and media dietitians, attended the event funded by The Glutamate Association and Ajinomoto Food Ingredients.
The purpose - to provide the attendees with an interactive and enjoyable experience that would "connect the dots" between the culinary aspects of umami and the science of monosodium glutamate, a source of pure umami taste.
David Kasabian, author of The Fifth Taste: Cooking with Umami opened with a review of what umami is and where it can be found, from a culinary perspective. Kasabian also served as moderator for discussion of presentations from the other contributors:
John Fernstrom, PhD. of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who provided an update on the latest glutamate science, with emphasis on the research presented at the 100th Anniversary Symposium of Umami Discovery, now published as a supplement in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Nirupa Chaudhari, PhD. of the University of Miami School of Medicine, who talked about her research on umami taste receptors, and
Danny Boome, host of the Food Network television series Rescue Chef, who described his experiences working with umami-rich ingredients and also devised the menus and supervised the preparation of the luncheon.
Click here to tour the event
Comments from those who attended the event showed that they were keen to learn about umami and pleased to hear the scientists dispel myths about MSG. Especially topical was the coverage of the benefits of using MSG to balance and enhance the taste of reduced-sodium or sodium-controlled foods.