[INGREDIENTS] by Karen Nachay

Breaking Boundaries With Savory Ingredients

here’s a buzz about a certain other foods, where they add rich, (ajiusafood.com), has just the ingre- taste sensation that’s adding salty, fermented flavor notes, for dient to do the job in its Savorboost Texcitement to food products and instance. Sea salt is combined with line. These yeast and yeast-based leading to creative ingredient devel- other ingredients (sweet, sour, hot, ingredients can enhance upfront opments. It’s savory taste, and it can spicy, herby, and smoke) for addi- umami or kokumi taste characteris- be detected not only in common food tional layers of flavor. Plus, tics without adding a distinctive ingredients like salt and yeast ingredient developers and food tech- yeast flavor to the finished food extracts but also in others that many nologists are tinkering with these products. product developers may not com- savory ingredients, formulating them Three distinct ingredients make monly use, such as fish sauce and into all sorts of food applications, up the Savorboost line. Savorboost U kombu. Another level of savory including some that are quite enhances upfront umami flavor often includes umami and kokumi, two unexpected. described as savoriness. It is listed words coined by Japanese research- as “yeast, yeast extract” on labels. ers to describe savory richness and Give Foods a Boost of Umami, Kokumi The second ingredient is Savorboost rounded mouthfeel, respectively. Want to kick up the umami and K, a yeast extract that delivers back- Umami is the more recognizable of kokumi tastes in foods using one ground richness and roundness— the two terms among product devel- simple, naturally derived ingredient? the kokumi taste sensations—to opers and culinary professionals, Ajinomoto North America, Itasca, Ill. savory products. This ingredient is although kokumi is emerging; snacks, sauces, and noodle dishes are applications that are perfect to deliver on kokumi taste, according to market research firm Mintel. While umami does not have an exact English translation, it is often inter- preted as “deliciousness.” The One way to add savory flavors to foods amino acid glutamate is most is to use ingredients rich in responsible for the umami taste sen- umami compounds. © Toru Uchida/iStock/Thinkstock sation (along with ribonucleotides), which is why foods high in glutamate like mushrooms, tomato paste, Parmesan cheese, miso, and ancho- vies are such effective savory flavor enhancers and add complexity and flavor roundness to foods. Umami flavor compounds also function to increase perceived saltiness and are therefore used to reduce sodium in many food products. Plenty of old standby ingredients that boost salty and savory tastes are still in use, too, with some having different twists put on them. Asian sauces like soy sauce and fish sauce are moving beyond Asian cuisine to

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from the local waters have different col- ors and flavors. The company takes basic sea salt and pairs it with various naturally derived, flavorful ingredients like espresso beans, green tea, curry pow- der, maple syrup, Trinidad Scorpion peppers, and red wine using a proprie- tary process to create its line of Fusion salts. The 25 varieties include versions that are sweet, tart, savory, pungent, or spicy hot that add flavor dimensions to many different foods. Some of the serv- ing suggestions courtesy of SaltWorks include topping desserts like cheesecake with Espresso Brava, vanilla ice cream with Thai Ginger, and caramels with Smoked Serrano. The Lime Fresco and Chili Verde versions add a flavor burst to flaky white fish. SprinkleThai Ginger, Szechuan Pepper, or Spicy Curry sea Experiment with different sea salt varieties to find the one that gives the taste and texture best suited for your application. salts on Asian noodle dishes, or try © Elena Moiseeva/Hemera/Thinkstock Spanish Rosemary or Roasted Garlic in tomato sauce to top pasta. More applica- tions that the company promotes are also labeled as “yeast extract, yeast.” Sea-ing New Uses for Sea Salt meat, salads, and vegetables. The finalSavorboost ingredient is Sea salt—produced through the evapo- SaltWorks also cold-smokes sea salt Savorboost F, which is used to provide ration of sea water—has found favor with untreated wood (hickory, alder- both umami and kokumi tastes that add among some product developers and wood, pecan, applewood, oak wine levels of flavor complexity to foods. Very culinary professionals for its functional barrels, and mesquite) to produce small amounts of the ingredients are benefits, namely texture and flavor. smoked sea salts that give foods smoky needed in order to provide the desired Consumers, too, are drawn to sea salt flavors without having to fire up the grill. flavor effects. Product developers can because they believe it is “less pro- It goes without saying that the smoked even work these ingredients into appli- cessed” than table salt, which is mined sea salts make perfect dry rubs for meat, cations that feature reduced from underground salt deposits, pro- but the company also suggests other monosodium glutamate (MSG) or cessed to remove minerals and applications where the smoked sea salts reduced sodium. impurities, and usually combined with an add unexpected layers of flavor. Mash it The company’s food technologists additive to prevent clumping. into baked sweet potatoes or potato have formulated a number of product Sea salt is commonly used as a fin- salad, or add it to macaroni and cheese concepts using the Savorboost ingredi- ishing salt sprinkled on salads, cooked sauce or creamy pasta sauces. Sprinkle ents to add the “deliciousness” taste meat and fish, vegetables, snack foods just a bit over popcorn, chocolate/fudge, sensation. Savorboost U in chicken broth like chips, and chocolate pieces, where it ice cream, roasted fruit, sliced tomatoes, is said to enhance the meaty chicken adds an initial bright, salty taste, crunch, melon, pumpkin seeds, caramel apples, flavor and deliver richness and longer- and—depending on the water source— corn on the cob, eggs, and alcoholic bev- lasting flavor. Snack seasoning made flavor and color (the flavor and color erages (think a Bloody Mary or a with Savorboost F has an initial burst of come from trace minerals and elements Margarita). umami flavor and a general complex fla- in sea water). SaltWorks, Woodinville, According to the American Heart vor. Savorboost K adds a richness and Wash. (saltworks.us), bills itself as Association (AHA), 61% of respondents longer-lasting flavor while reducing “America’s Sea Salt Company,” and it to a survey it conducted incorrectly sodium in 50% reduced-sodium tamari. lives up to this description by offering an agreed that sea salt is a low-sodium At the IFT15 food expo, the company extensive line of gourmet sea salts in alternative to table salt. Table salt and gave attendees the chance to try the bulk and for retail sale. Some of the sea most sea salts, the AHA explains, have savory-enhancing properties of the salts come from Hawaii, Italy, and sev- comparable amounts of sodium by Savorboost ingredients in Vietnamese eral regions in France. Because the weight, but because some sea salt vari- pho, Alfredo sauce, taco meat, and dip- mineral content of the water in each eties have larger crystal sizes than table ping sauce for jerk chicken. location is different, the salts produced salt, they may have less sodium by pg 54 01.16 • www.ift.org volume. A teaspoon of table salt has The company debuted the organic Asian Sauces Add Savory Twist about 2,300 mg of sodium, but a teaspoon yeasts last summer at the IFT15 expo. To Singular ingredients like sea salt and of sea salt may have less sodium produce them, the company grows yeast yeast extracts are popular options for because fewer crystals fit into the on organically produced and certified adding salty and savory tastes to foods, spoon, according to the organization. agricultural substrates. The result is but sauces, particularly those used in Some ingredient manufacturers promote inactive yeast, which is whole cell yeast Asian cuisine, are key flavor enhancers, too. Intensely flavored sauces such as fish, soy, and oyster are high in savory/ Singular ingredients like sea salt and yeast extracts are popular umami compounds and are used as fin- options for adding salty and savory tastes to foods, but sauces, ishing sauces, condiments, and flavor enhancers. Naturally brewed soy sauce, particularly those used in Asian cuisine, are key flavor enhancers, too. for example, is high in glutamic acid, a nonessential amino acid that contributes to umami taste and works in synergy sea salt as a salt reduction tool by com- derived from primary-grown or brewer’s with salt to enhance the umami taste bining it with other ingredients that have yeast, and yeast extracts, which are the even more. In a Journal of Food Science salty and umami taste characteristics, soluble yeast fractions. Product devel- review article, Lioe et al. (2010) write thus allowing food manufacturers to use opers can choose from four organic that free L-glutamic acid and other free less overall sodium in their products yeast ingredients. Bio-Engevita S amino acids may interact with other tas- while maintaining the savory taste. Salt Powder is an organic inactive yeast tants to elicit umami taste. of the Earth, Atlit, Israel (saltofthe- powder and Bio-Engevita S Flakes are Long cooking times produce rich, earthltd.com), launched Umamix, a organic inactive yeast flakes. Both of meaty flavors such as in a stew or soup proprietary mix of sea salt and vegetable these have savory flavor characteristics prepared by a home cook. Food manu- extracts, at the 2015 Food Ingredients as well as water-binding and emulsify- facturers producing processed food Europe show in December. Salt from the ing properties. The other two products often follow a more rapid pro- Red Sea is combined with extracts from ingredients—Bio-Lyfe 537 A and Bio- duction schedule. Kikkoman, which has tomato, shiitake mushrooms, and kombu Lyfe 537 C—can enhance savory and specialized in soy sauce production for seaweed—all foods that have high meaty flavors. Both are organic yeast several centuries, suggests that adding amounts of compounds that elicit umami extracts with natural 5’nucleotides, with just a little soy sauce to formulas can taste—to create a liquid ingredient that the Bio-Lyfe 537 C ingredient containing lend some of these rich savory flavors to the company says can help reduce salt. Use these in any traditionally processed food products. Through its sodium by up to 45% and replace MSG in savory application. Kikkoman Sales USA division, San many processed meat applications. Food technologists at the company demon- strated that Umamix can decrease Yeast is used to produce a common savory flavor enhancer, yeast extract.© bhofack2/iStock/Thinkstock sodium by 45% in hamburgers and meat- balls and by 33% in sausages without affecting the taste. The ingredient is heat stable, pH stable, and kosher and halal. And since it is made from sea salt and naturally derived vegetable ingredients, it is an option for food manufacturers formulating products to meet clean label demands of consumers, according to the company.

Yeast Ingredients Lend Savory Flavor Walk through any food ingredient trade show and it seems that more ingre- dient options exist for developers of organic products than ever before. For organic products with a savory fla- vor, product developers can turn to a line of organic yeast-based ingre- dients from Lallemand, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (lallemand.com).

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Francisco, Calif. (kikkomanusa.com/ manufacturers as soy sauce is foodmanufacturers; kikkomanusa. among the lowest-cost and Salt comes in different grades and sizes that function as com/foodservice), the company cleanest-label options available.” mix-in ingredients or topical ingredients. offers a number of different soy There are gluten-free and lower- © Zoonar/j.wnuk/Zoonar/Thinkstock sauce products as well as other full- sodium versions of soy sauce and flavored savory sauces that boost tamari soy sauce, including one of umami taste in both Asian and non- the company’s newest ingredients, Asian food products. Kikkoman Less-Sodium, Gluten-Free Soy sauce has been an important Non-GMO Tamari Soy Sauce with ingredient in Asian cooking for 40% less sodium than regular gluten- centuries, and Joe Leslie, industrial free tamari soy sauce. Using this sales manager at Kikkoman Sales ingredient allows manufacturers to USA, is excited to say that his reduce sodium without sacrificing company’s soy sauces are now flavor intensity, says Leslie. providing richness, flavor depth, and Other Kikkoman sauces like aroma to many non-Asian katsu sauce, a combination of applications like cheese items, snack apples, onions, tomato paste, and foods, dried meats, frozen meals, soy sauce, and teriyaki sauce, made salad dressings, sauces, gravies, from soy sauce, vinegar, sweetener, and baked goods. Manufacturers and seasonings, not only provide also have to contend with developing savory flavors to foods but also a bit craveable foods that meet of sweetness. For use in applications consumers’ clean label where a liquid sauce just won’t work, expectations. “We find soy sauce there are dehydrated and granulated being used in small quantities to soy sauce ingredients that easily Leading Salt Manufacturer replace flavor enhancers that are no incorporate into seasoning blends, longer desired on the label,” says snack food coatings, concentrated Adds to Lineup Leslie. “This is beneficial to soup bases, and powdered mixes. Morton Salt, Chicago (mortonsalt.com), has made a Add a little soy sauce to deepen the flavor of foods. The ingredient is also a label-friendly flavor enhancer. major investment in both ingredient innovation and salt © Paul_Brighton/iStock/Thinkstock production capabilities. The company, which has more than 50 salt grades and mixtures available to food man- ufacturers, added PureSun Culinary Crystals to its collection to meet the growing demand for sea salt. The salt is harvested from the Great Salt Lake in Utah and produced through solar evaporation, the oldest method of salt production, which involves putting sea water in shallow ponds where the sun evaporates most of the water. When the salt layer is thick enough, it is har- vested using a mechanical harvesting machine. The ingredient joins other Morton Salt ingredients—from the standard table salt that we are all familiar with to specialty salts like Sea Salt Rubs blended with spices and herbs, Seasoned Salt, and Popcorn Salt. Other vari- eties include sea salts, salts in different grades and grinds, and low-sodium salt that incorporates potas- sium chloride in the blend. PureSun Culinary Crystals is the first food-grade salt ingredient produced at the company’s Grantsville, Utah, facility. The company also introduced food-grade salt manufacturing capabilities to its salt production facility in Port Canaveral, Fla., by expanding it by more than 45,000 sq ft. Production of food-grade salt ingredients at that location is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2016.

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Kikkoman’s dehydrated and granulated Research Yields Savory Ingredients foods well-rounded, clean upfront soy sauce ingredients are produced Savory taste is one area where umami/savory notes while Savorymyx through a spray-drying method. The Senomyx, San Diego, Calif. (senomyx. UM33 provides meaty, peppery, and free-flowing powders have demon- com), has conducted plenty of research. spicy taste notes when used at low lev- strated flavor retention during heat The first ingredients to be developed els. In addition to adding savory and processing and freezing and can be eas- under the company’s Savory/Umami umami complexity to foods, the ingredi- ily reconstituted in water. Taste Program received regulatory ents also function to reduce sodium, “Kikkoman soy sauces are now used approval in the United States in 2005 and MSG, and yeast extracts in certain appli- in so many items that nothing surprises were commercialized by one of the com- cations, adds Wicker. It is not a us anymore,” says Leslie. “You can find pany’s partners a couple of years later, significant reduction, but they still allow our soy sauce in unexpected applica- says Sharon Wicker, senior vice presi- product developers to dial back the tions such as pet foods, cheese spreads, dent and chief commercial development sodium a bit. (Wicker says it could be and low-sodium breads. Kikkoman’s non- officer at Senomyx. The company now around a 20% reduction depending on GMO sriracha sauce is also found in food has seven savory ingredients under the the application.) products across the spectrum,” he con- program, two of which are the most So in what food products can you find tinues. “Our hoisin sauce, ponzu sauce, broadly commercialized. the Savorymyx ingredients? Thai chili sauce, and plum sauce provide The ingredients—Savorymyx UM80 Commercialized products formulated a savory kick to many signature sauces and Savorymyx UM33—are flavors that with the ingredients include bouillon, found in prepared foods and add subtle taste notes to food and bever- soup, dry soup mixes, sauces, and sea- restaurants.” age products. Savorymyx UM80 gives soning blends. Wicker says that these are obvious examples, but that the ingre- dients do have potential in non-savory Soup products formulated with savory flavor ingredients are widely available in stores. © Tiramisu Art Studio/iStock/Thinkstock applications, which is something that some of the flavor chemists who work for Senomyx’s customers are investigating. In addition to work on savory/umami taste, Senomyx conducts research on salty taste, says Wicker. Overall, this involves determining the mechanism for how salt taste perception works. One of the steps is to determine the specific protein or groups of proteins in taste buds that detect salt in food, according to the company’s Salt Taste Program. So far, Senomyx scientists have identified a small group of proteins they think may be involved in salt taste perception. When the research results definitively point to the proteins that enable salt taste per- ception, the scientists can then use them to develop new flavor ingredients such as taste modifiers that allow for signifi- cant reductions in sodium.

Dusting of Powder Gives Umami Boost Umami is a much talked about taste sen- sation that gives foods rounded, mouth-watering, and savory effects. Ingredients rich in umami compounds like MSG and autolyzed yeast extract (AYE) give foods an umami boost, but to some consumers, these are not so-called label-friendly ingredients. For that rea- son, some ingredient manufacturers have used ingredients like mushrooms and umami-rich vegetables to produce pg 58 01.16 • www.ift.org Tomatoes are one of several glutamate-containing foods that can be transformed into powders that add savory complexity to food products. © dla4/iStock/Thinkstock

different types of umami pow- Hillsborough, N.J. (rcfinefoods. ders that manufacturers can use com). Umami Sensations is actu- in clean label product ally a line of 10 umami powders development. made from different umami-rich The first one, calledUmami sources that bring out layers of Natural, comes from Sensient flavor in a variety of products, Natural Ingredients, Turlock, from soups to desserts. The col- Calif. (sensientnaturalingredi- lection includes Fish Sauce ents.com). This specially Powder, Oyster Extract Powder, formulated blend of vegetable Kombu (Seaweed) Powder, powders gives a deep, savory Champignon Mushroom Extract flavor to all sorts of savory food Powder, Shitake Mushroom applications. Developers of Extract Powder, Roasted Chinese reduced-sodium products take Cabbage Powder, Mirepoix note: Umami Natural has 380.94 Powder, Soy Sauce (Wheat-free) mg of sodium/100 g versus Powder, Red Miso Powder, and 4,460.00 mg of AYE/100 g and Kokumi Powder. Because the 12,300.00 mg of MSG/100 g. powders help to increase the Woodland Foods, Waukegan, umami and savory taste sensa- Ill. (woodlandfoods.com), tions, they can replace some of blended dried porcini and shii- the added sodium in products. In take mushrooms, aromatic some cases, not much of the vegetables, tomato powder, powder is needed; the company dried chilies, miso powder, and gives the example of using as salt to create Umami Dust little as 1/2 teaspoon of the pow- Seasoning. Mushrooms, toma- der in one gallon of soup. The toes, and miso are naturally rich powders are available in 4 oz sources of umami taste com- spoonable jars and 2 oz shaker pounds. The finely ground, bottles. RC Fine Foods promotes tan-colored powder can be used the powders as easy-to-use as a topical application on meat ingredients for foodservice and fish or incorporated into applications. product like soups, stews, and ground meat. Umami Chocolate for The final umami powder Unexpected Flavor ingredient is Umami Sensations Mushroom extract powder, soy from RC Fine Foods, sauce powder, and red miso

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powder used to heighten umami taste temper the sweetness of the confection umami-enhancing ingredients to taste sensations in savory applications like a bit while enhancing the overall flavor. how the ingredients helped create sauce and meat dishes is expected. But Similar to how the addition of a small deeper, richer flavors. used as an ingredient in sweet applica- amount of coffee or espresso to choco- The company says that the umami- tions like chocolate truffles? Not so late cake brings out a stronger roasted and kokumi-enhancing properties of its much. Food technologists at Nikken chocolate flavor, these powdered ingre- soy sauce powders, seafood extract Foods USA, St. Louis, Mo. (nikkenfoods. dients also enrich the chocolate flavor in powders, vegetable and mushroom com), developed truffles formulated with truffles. At various food industry shows extract powders, and other specialty small amounts of these ingredients, not in 2015, attendees sampled conventional blends “create the ultimate YUM-ami” to create a savory chocolate treat, but to truffles along with those made with across all food applications.

Ingredient Roundup

Ingredients derived from various can be used to add back or boost spe- ingredient. And for manufacturers look- sources offer product developers sev- cific flavor notes. Finally,Springaline ing to formulate with ingredients that eral options to enhance savory and and Springalys are dried yeast ingredi- are not made from genetically modified salty flavors, round out flavors, and add ents used as flavor carriers and flavor sources, the yeast extract ingredient is umami taste characteristics to foods. base notes, and they also lend roasted a fit as it has been given Non-GMO • Biorigin, Louisville, Ky. (bioringin. or nutty notes to food products. Project Verified status. net), starts with select strains of • To give vegan and vegetarian food • Another ingredient that is said to Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce products a meaty, savory flavor, Eatem maintain salty taste with less sodium in Bionis yeast extract. The ingredient Foods, Vineland, N.J. (eatemfoods. the formula is Smart Salt Concentrate can improve overall savory and com), manufactures Vegan Broth from Smart Salt, Arnold, Calif. (smart- umami flavors while adding roasted Concentrate 90-451 (Chicken Type). salt.com). The main components of the taste notes. Bioenhance flavors are Yeast extract is the main savory-boost- ingredient are magnesium and potas- made from bacterial fermentation ing ingredient used in the concentrate sium. One of the benefits of the using a strain of dairy cultures that along with naturally derived flavorings ingredient that the company promotes is not genetically modified. Using and salt. These help give it a roasted is its ability to be easily blended with Bioenhance is said to give foods a chicken aroma and meaty flavor of sea salt, flavors, and extracts to boost more rounded flavor that is heavy chicken stock without the use of meat various savory taste sensations. on umami taste and salt perception ingredients. Other ingredients like onion • A patented technology takes stan- without sodium addition. To give foods powder, garlic powder, and evaporated dard salt crystals and turns them into what the company describes as a cane juice contribute to the overall fla- free-flowing crystalline microspheres mouth-watering savory flavor, there vor of the broth concentrate. Vegan called SODA-LO Salt Microspheres is a naturally derived flavor called Broth Concentrate is a brown-colored, from Tate & Lyle, Hoffman Estates, Ill. BioSavour, which also boosts umami spreadable paste that can be used to (tateandlyle.com). These are smaller, taste. Biotaste yeast extracts give formulate broths and soups, sauces and lower-density crystals that can deliver foods various roasted notes and meaty gravies, vegan patties and nuggets, salty taste by maximizing surface area flavor profiles like chicken and beef. meat analogs, side dishes like beans relative to volume, making it possible for • Reducing sodium in products but and rice, and marinades. product developers to formulate foods still maintaining the salty taste impact is • Savoury Systems International, with less overall sodium, according to possible with yeast-derived ingredients Branchburg, N.J. (savourysystems. the company. Tate & Lyle adds that the from Bio Springer, Milwaukee, Wis. com), specializes in yeast extracts and ingredient is made from salt and does (biospringer-na.com). Springer 2000 savory flavors that help food product not have any bitter aftertastes that yeast extracts with naturally occurring developers to enhance salty, savory, other salt compounds or substitutes can nucleotides boost salty notes and add brothy, meaty, and umami tastes in food have. The shape and size of these hol- umami flavor whileSpringer 4000 yeast applications. The company recently low microspheres deliver the salty taste extracts give foods richness and kokumi promoted its #1000 Yeast Extract Low that consumers crave with les sodium taste. Springer Standard yeast extracts Salt High Protein ingredient at the 2015 in applications like mayonnaise (25% with savory and vegetable flavor pro- IFT Chicago Section Suppliers’ Night less sodium), chicken breading (40% files can provide subtle flavors to foods. event. Manufacturers can use a little less sodium), french fries (50% less Springarom is a processed flavor ingre- less sodium but still get the salty taste sodium), and hamburger patties (30% dient derived from yeast extracts that sensation with the yeast extract less sodium).

pg 60 01.16 • www.ift.org Ingredients made from mushroom and vegetable extracts and salt up the “deliciousness” of snacks like potato chips. © Devonyu/iStock/Thinkstock

extracts and umami-rich vegetable extracts that functions as a naturally derived alterna- tive to MSG and AYE. The ingredient recently won two 2015 Food Ingredients Europe Innovation Awards: one for Most Innovative Food Ingredient and one in the category of Best Functional Innovation. Product developers can choose from a liquid or powder form for use in all types of savory applications. A little goes a long way; in most formulations, either version of Scelta Taste Accelerator can be used in amounts from 0.15% to 0.30% to get the desired umami and salty taste effects, or they can be used to achieve sodium reductions of up to 50%. There is also a powdered version specifi- cally designed for use in bread that allows for sodium reductions between 25% and 50%. Finally, there is a Scelta Taste Accelerator version for topical Its three Umami Medley blends in partic- use on chips, nuts, and other savory prod- ular help create the mouthwatering ucts. The ingredient also has sodium- experience and bring layers of flavor to reduction benefits. In all of these cases, the foods. Each blend combines umami-boosting company has demonstrated that sodium ingredients that act synergistically to boost reduction is achieved without compromising the savoriness of foods. The collection taste or the functionality of salt. FT includes Umami Medley 7501, a blend of kombu and shiitake extracts, and Umami Next month’s Ingredients section will feature Medley 7503, a combination of extracts from ingredients that enhance texture and main- fermented rice, shiitake, and kombu. The tain stability in foods and beverages. third ingredient, Umami Medley 7502, blends Komi Powder, Nikken’s kokumi enhancer made from fermented soybean sauce, with Karen Nachay, soy sauce powder and shiitake extract. The Senior Associate Editor • [email protected] umami and kokumi properties of the ingredi- ents mean that product developers can formulate many products with less sodium without affecting the flavor complexity or www.ift.org mouthfeel, according to the company. Members Only: Read more about salt, umami, and savory ingredients at ift.org. Type the keywords into Recognition for Scelta Flavor Enhancer the search box at the upper right side of the home page. Mushrooms are an umami powerhouse, and Scelta Mushrooms, Venlo, the Netherlands (sceltamushrooms.com), has harnessed the umami goodness in mushrooms to produce REFERENCE Scelta Taste Accelerator, a potassium-free Lioe, H. N., J. Selamat, and Y. Masaaki. 2010. flavor enhancer of umami taste and salty “Soy Sauce and Its Umami Taste: A Link from the Past to Current Situation.” J. Food Sci. 75(3): perception suited for use in reduced-sodium 71–76. applications. It is a blend of mushroom

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