Over the past few decades, umami has evolved from a niche concept in the culinary world to more of a mainstream idea. Discovered over a century ago by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda, umami is the fifth taste, providing a savory sensation we detect within the flavor profile of foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, and aged cheeses.

It’s no longer just a secret used by Michelin Star chefs — umami is now a key selling point in everything from snacks to seasonings, drinks to desserts. Chefs and food manufacturers alike have embraced this taste, which has led to an explosion of umami-rich products and a growing consumer awareness of how it can help enhance their culinary experiences. This heightened awareness is due in part to a more educated consumer base that craves complex and satisfying flavors, as well as ongoing research that continues to uncover the benefits of umami in food.

Kokumi: The Emerging Flavor Sensation

While umami has made significant strides in the culinary world, there is another flavor sensation garnering more and more awareness — kokumi. Unlike umami, kokumi is still an emerging concept that remains unfamiliar to most, even within the food industry.

Kokumi directly translates from Japanese as "rich taste," though it’s more nuanced than that. Kokumi doesn’t provide a distinct flavor on its own, but rather it enhances the mouthfeel, depth, richness, roundedness, and continuity of individual flavors. Kokumi helps all of the flavors in a dish coalesce into something more elevated and creates an entirely new and unique experience than just the individual flavors on their own.

 First isolated in the 1980s, kokumi has a link to certain compounds — particularly peptides such as glutathione — naturally found in foods and known to have a unique interaction with taste receptors of our basic tastes. These peptides modulate the perception of other tastes –– sweet, salty, and umami –– often making them more robust and better harmonized.

This modulation occurs through the activation of calcium sensing receptors on the tongue, which are found in our taste buds, along with other receptors that detect sweet and salty tastes. Kokumi compounds are naturally present in a variety of foods, especially those that are aged or fermented, such as aged cheeses, slow-cooked soups and stews, garlic, onions, and many fermented foods such as fish sauce. These foods are often described as having a "full-bodied" or "mature" flavor, qualities that are directly attributable to the presence of kokumi substances.

Kokumi in Action

Kokumi is important because it addresses a growing demand for foods that not only taste good but also provide a mouth coating and rich flavor experience. As consumers seek more natural and authentic taste profiles, kokumi offers an opportunity to create products that deliver on these expectations without relying on excessive salt, sugar, or fat. Kokumi substances are already being used in a wide range of products, particularly by Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America , which has incorporated them into soup stocks, processed foods, in addition to cheese-flavored items to enhance the aged, toasted cheese note without adding acidity. Roasted berry flavors become jammier and deeper with the addition of kokumi, as well.

The potential applications of kokumi are vast and varied, making it a versatile tool for food manufacturers. Available in a variety of ways to meet different labeling needs, kokumi can easily be incorporated into a range of products without requiring major changes to existing production processes. This flexibility allows kokumi to enhance flavor profiles across applications.

In soups, sauces, and proteins, kokumi enriches umami and other natural flavors, creating a fuller and more balanced flavor profile. In snacks, kokumi provides a more indulgent taste experience, enabling more nutritious formulations while still delivering robust flavor for a craveable sensory experience.

Innovations from leaders in the field, like Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition, have led to the development of yeast-based flavor enhancement systems that utilize kokumi for targeted flavor impact. These advanced technologies are designed to work across sweet and savory applications to provide the food and beverage industry with the ability to create products that balance rich, complex flavors and meet nutritional goals.

As the food industry explores the possibilities of these types of innovations, kokumi is well-positioned to become an essential component in the flavor toolkit for product developers. Kokumi represents the potential to create foods that deliver more of what we want and less of what we don't need, all without sacrificing bold, memorable flavors that consumers crave.

Author: Sarah Corwin

Sarah Corwin, Ph.D., RD, LDN, is the Senior Principal Scientist, Plant-Based & Ingredient Innovation, at Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc. (AHN). Sarah has more than seven years of experience in research and development, specializing in carbohydrate chemistry, vegan meat and dairy solutions, rapid prototyping, and ingredient development.

In her career, Sarah has worked at MGP Ingredients, as a clinical dietitian, and as a graduate research assistant at Purdue University.