What Exactly Is Umami and Top 3 Umami Ingredients
I had explained what is umami flavor and the 3 most common umami components on the above page.
I only gave 1 ingredient name as an example for each umami component, but it is just the representative one. Actually there are plenty of ingredients that packed with umami flavor!
Here, I would like to introduce the list of umami rich ingredients.
Top 3 Umami Ingredients (Umami Taste Components)
Before making up the list, let’s go over what are the 3 most common umami components in Japan.
Umami is, by the way, the name of the taste that are produced by amino acid, nucleic acid, organic acid, etc. In this context, the term “3 most common umami components” are one of those.
1. Glutamic acid
2. Inosinic acid
3. Guanylic acid
I will explain each one of them next, and you can check what are the umami rich ingredients in each section.
Foods Packed with Glutamic Acid / Glutamate
Actually, glutamic acid is made in our body, and is contained in the body at a rate of about 2%.
By the way, glutamic acid is also contained in breast milk, so babies first encounter umami with this glutamic acid. In other words, human taste acts as a signal to take in the nutrients that the body needs.
Glutamic acid is one of the 20 amino acids that make up proteins. Each amino acid is linked in a chain, and consists of protein. Protein is the main component that makes cells of living organisms including humans.
Here is the list of foods packed with Glutamic acid.
[Amount Per 100g (3.5oz)]
・Kombu: 200-3400 mg
・Dried tomato: 650-1140 mg
・Cheese: 180-2220 mg (Parmesan cheese: 1200-1680 mg)
・Dried shiitake mushrooms: 1060 mg
・Soy sauce: 400-1700 mg
・Oyster sauce: 900 mg
・Anchovy: 630 mg
・Kimchi: 240 mg
・Miso: 100-700 mg
・Tomato: 100-250 mg
・Green pea: 110 mg
・Garlic: 100 mg
・Corn: 70-110 mg
・Soybean: 70-80 mg
・Raw shiitake mushroom: 70 mg
・Mushroom: 40-110 mg
・Chinese cabbage: 40-100 mg
・Potato: 30-100 mg
・Carrot: 40-80 mg
・Spinach: 50-70 mg
・Daikon: 30-70 mg
・Broccoli: 30-60 mg
・Cabbage: 30-50 mg
・Asparagus: 30-50 mg
・Onion: 20-50 mg
・Green onion: 20-50 mg
Foods Packed with Inosinic Acid
Inosinic acid is one of the constituents of nucleic acid.
Cells are reborn every day in the human body, and nucleic acid is indispensable when the cells are reborn.
Inosinic acid is mainly contained in animal-based materials. After the death of the creature, the substance increases in the process of aging.
Here is the list of foods packed with Inosinic acid.
[Amount Per 100g (3.5oz)]
・Dried bonito shavings: 470-700 mg
・Dried anchovy (Niboshi): 350-800 mg
・Tuna: 250-360 mg
・Sardine: 280 mg
・Mackerel: 130-280 mg
・Chicken: 150-230 mg
・Pork: 130-230 mg
・Beef: 80 mg
Foods Packed with Guanylic Acid
Guanylic acid is also one of the constituents of nucleic acid.
There are some ingredients that contain guanylic acid, but in terms of its quantity, dried shiitake mushroom is by far the best.
In fact, the raw shiitake mushroom contain only glutamic acid, so you have to let it dry thoroughly to take guanylic acid.
Here is the list of foods packed with Guanylic acid.
[Amount Per 100g (3.5oz)]
・Dried shiitake mushrooms: 150 mg
・Seaweed laver (Nori): 3-80 mg
・Dried tomato: 10 mg
・Dried porcini: 10 mg
Source: https://www.umamiinfo.com/richfood/
