Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Healthy Processed Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #295991
Title: Recent developments on umami ingredients of edible mushrooms: A review

Author
item ZHANG, YIN - Sichuan University
item Pan, Zhongli
item VENKITASAMY, CHANDRASEKAR - University Of California
item WANG, BEI - Sichuan University

Submitted to: Trends in Food Science and Technology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2013
Publication Date: 12/1/2013
Citation: Zhang, Y., Pan, Z., Venkitasamy, C., Wang, B. 2013. Recent developments on umami ingredients of edible mushrooms: A review. Trends in Food Science and Technology. 33:78-92.

Interpretive Summary: Umami is a savory taste present in mushrooms, meat, fish and dairy products. This umami taste is produced by glutamate, ribonucleotides and chemicals which occur naturally in these foods. Due to the presence of this umami taste, the mushrooms are considered palatable and have been used in many food preparations. The umami taste of mushrooms varies among mushroom species, maturity stages, mushroom parts, mushroom quality grades, storage time and processing methods. This paper reviews the newly developed mushroom products and their health benefits with respect to their umami taste and proposes new processing methods for utilizing mushrooms as functional foods and additives in the food industry to enhance or maintain umami taste.

Technical Abstract: Umami is a pleasant savory taste which has been attributed mainly to the presence of MSG-like amino acids and flavor 5’- nucleotides and widely used in food industry. Edible mushrooms have a peculiar umami taste. The umami taste makes the edible mushrooms palatable and adaptable in most food preparations. There is an increased interest in the evaluation of umami ingredients in various edible mushroom species in recent years. This paper mainly summarizes the effects of species type, maturity stage, part of mushroom, quality grade, storing time and processing methods on contents of umami ingredients in edible mushrooms. In addition, newly developed mushroom products, health benefits of mushroom products, safety of umami ingredients are reviewed and the future trends of the umami ingredients in the edible mushrooms are proposed.