Flavor Potentiators

The aucleotides iaosiae-5 -moaophosphate and guanosiae-5 -monophosphate, produced from yeast RNA are potent flavor potentiators for meat products. They act synergisticaHy with monosodium glutamate and are usually used ia coajuactioa with this amino acid. 

Monosodium glutamate lor many years has been the best known and most widely used of the flavor enhancers. MSG is normally effective in terms ol a relatively few pans per thousand, but far less powerful than the newer flavor potentiators. Like enhancers, potentiators do not add any taste of their own to food substances, but intensify the taste response to the flavorings already present in the food. Because a potentiator is more powerful, smaller quantities of the substances are required than in the Case of the enhancers. Generally, the available potentiators are from about 15 to nearly 100 times more effective than tile enhancer. 

Very broadly, tastes can be divided into three, possibly four, categories—sw eet, saur (or ULid I, and bitter (alkaline) and salty. Salty, w hich for practical purposes is a major componeni of laste perception, involves physiological differences in some ways it may be classified as a flavor potentiator. 

Noguchi, M., Arai, S., Yamashita, M., Kato, H., and Fujimaki, M. 1975. Isolation and identification of acidic oligopeptides occurring in a flavor potentiating fraction from a fish protein hydrolysate. J. Agric. Food Chem. 23, 49-53. 

Levels of individual short-chain FFAs or combinations of these have been suggested as superior to total FFA or ADV as indicators of the desirable/undesirable lipolysis status and flavor potential of various cheeses, in particular butyric acid (C o) and total short-chain FFAs (Czm) + C o + C8.0) (Woo et al., 1984 Arbige et al., 1986 Lin and Jeon,... 

The salty taste is best exhibited by sodium chloride. It is sometimes claimed that the taste of salt by itself is unpleasant and that the main purpose of salt as a food component is to act as a flavor enhancer or flavor potentiator. The taste of salts depends on the nature of both cation and anion. As the molecular weight of either cation or anion— or both—increases, salts are likely to taste bitter. The lead and beryllium salts of acetic acid have a sweet taste. The taste of a number of salts is presented in Table 7-4. 

Use Biochemical research, flavor potentiator (disodium salt). 

Derivation From a seaweed or from dried fish. Use Flavor potentiator in foods. 

Gunata, Z. et al., Role of enzymes in the use of the flavor potential from grape glycosides in wine-making, in Progress in Flavor Precursor Studies, Schreier, P. and Winterhalter, P., Eds., Allured Publishing Corp., Carol Stream, IL, 1992, p. 219. 

CCRIS 6560 Disodium inosinate Disodium 5 -inosinate Disodium inosine 5 -monophosphate Disodium inosine 5 -phosphate EINECS 225-146-4 FEMA No. 3669 Gluxor 1626 IMP disodium salt IMP sodium salt 5 -lmp disodium salt 5 -lnosinic acid, disodium salt lnosin-5 -monophosphate disodium lnosine-5 -monophosphate disodium Inosine 5 -monophosphate disodium salt hydrate Inosine-5 -monophosphoric acid disodium salt Luxor 1639 NSC 20263 Sodium inosinate Sodium 5 -inosinate IMP sodium Disodium IMP Sodium 5-inosinate Disodium 5 -inosinate Inosine 5 -disodium phosphate. A 5 -nucleotide derived from seaweed or dried fish Flavor potentiator in foods. Solid soluble in H2O slightly soluble in alcohol insoluble in ether LDso (rat orl) = 15,900 mg/kg. Lancaster Synthesis Co. Penta Mfg. 

Pyrimidine derivatives do not generally have positive flavor notes and are considered neutral to poor. Some pyrimidine-derived flavors (although not found in tobacco or tobacco smoke) have meaty notes. There are also some pyrimidine flavorants that do possess good flavor potential for tobacco products, for example, 2-methyl-5,7-dihydrothieno[3,4- (]pyrimidine. This compound contains a bicyclic ring structure and has been identified in tobacco. 2-Methyl-5,7-dihydrothieno[3,4- (]pyrimidine is said to have a fresh roasted, sweet nut flavor with a popcorn character (17B22). It is a compound listed by Doull et al. as an ingredient in flavor formulations used by one or more members of the U.S. tobacco industry (1053). 

In terms of the flavor potential of this class of compounds, very little is known. A minor tobacco alkaloid, 2,3 -bipyri-dine, has been reported (17B19) to exhibit a sensitizing effect on tobacco flavor and to snppress astringency (3215, 17B52). 

Thin-layer chromatography remains one of the main methods for class fractionation and speciation of lipids [23,24] and is used increasingly to determine the botanical origin, potency, and flavor potential of herbs and spices [25-27]. In the pharmaceutical industry, it is used for the analysis of complex and dirty samples with poor detection characteristics and for stability and content uniformity testing [28-31]. It continues to be widely used in the standardization of plant materials used as traditional and modem medicines. In addition, it retains an historic link with the characterization of dyes and inks and the control of impurities in industrial chemicals. 

Nakayama et ai, 1964 Demain et al., 1965 Funiya et al., 1968). Inosine S -monophosphate has industrial importance as a flavor potentiator. Another flavor chemical (less potent than IMP) is XMP. It can be accumulated at levels of over 6g/liter by removing XMP aminase (enzyme m) by mutation (Misawa et al., 1964 Demain et ai, 1965 ... 

Glycyrrhizic acid and structurally related saponins possess a sweet taste and flavor-potentiating characteristics and have been employed... 

There is little in the literature on the effect of plant age on the development of volatile flavor components, however Freeman [70] has reported on flavor formation during onion seed germination and growth. It appears that after approximately 20 days, onion flavor potential is completely developed. The seed itself contains no flavor precursors (cysteine sulfoxide derivatives) and only about 3% the aUiinase activity (enzyme) of mature onion bulbs. However, the plant quickly develops alliinase activity and a maximum activity is reached after 15-20 days. Therefore, flavor is developed well before the plant is of suitable size for consumption. 

Maul, R, Harvest maturity and post harvest temperature management can compromise flavor potential of fresh-market tomatoes, in Horticulture Dept., University of Florida, Gainesville, 1999. 

Maul, R, S.A. Sargent, M.O. Baldwin, D.J. Huber, C.A. Sims, Predicting flavor potential for green-harvest tomato fruit, Proc. Florida State Hort. Soc., Ill, p. 285, 1998. 

This suggests that an analytical method that measures total free fatty acids (e.g., acid degree value) may be a poor measure of the off-flavor potential of these fatty acids. 

By subjecting various untreated hardwoods to processes described as (a) controlled burning, or (b) dry distillation at appropriate temperatures, usually between 300 and 800°C, or (c) treatment with superheated steam at temperatures usually between 300 and SOO C, and condensation and capturing of those fractions which have the desired flavor potential... 

Flavor potentiators (or enhancers), by the strictest definition, are compounds that have no flavor of their own (at effect levels) but yet intensify or enhance the flavor of a food. However, the industry may use these terms rather loosely at times and include any compounds that make a flavor taste/smell better. For example, the addition of ethyl butyrate to methyl anthranilate enhances the grape character of the methyl anthranilate. This latter usage of the term is not appropriate in the context of this chapter. 

Two other amino acids (tricholomic and ibotenic acids) have been identified as having flavor potentiator properties. Tricholomic and ibotenic acids were found originally in Japanese mushrooms (Tricholoma muscarium and Aminita strobili-forms, respectively) by Takemoto et al. [3-5] and Takemoto and Nakajima [6,7]. These amino acids were of particular interest since they were found to be effective in killing the common house fly. While both amino acids have lower sensory thresholds for potentiating effects than either MSG or the 5 -nucleotides, they have not found commercial application. 

There has been substantial research interest in finding new flavor potentiators. This is partially driven by the negative image the public has of MSG, the key member of this group of compounds. Also, all of these traditional potentiators are useful only in savory products. It is desirable to find new potentiators that will also function in other food categories. For example, there is great interest in finding an enhancer of... 

This chapter will present an overview of flavor potentiators. While focus will be on the traditional flavor potentiators since they have commercial application, recent additions to this category of flavor ingredients will be presented. Maga [8] has provided a very comprehensive but now somewhat dated review of this subject while Yamaguchi [9] has focused his review on the sensory aspects of MSG and the 5 nucleotides, and Ninomiya [10] has focused on the sensory and safety aspects of MSG only. Nagodawithana [11] has provided a less detailed review of the traditional flavor potentiators than Maga [8] but it is comparable in breadth. 

The structures of the naturally occurring flavor potentiators are presented in Figure... 

It is of interest that flavor potentiating effect is very dependent upon structure of the molecule. For MSG, it is only the L form of the amino acid that has potentiating properties. The D form has no activity. Also, the ionic form is very important. The monosodium form (rather than diacidic or dibasic salt) is active while the other ionic forms have little activity. 

FIGURE 11.1 Structures of traditional flavor potentiators. (From Nagodawithana, T.W., Savory Flavors, Esteekay Assoe., Milwaukee, 1995. With permission.)... 

In the case of the nucleotides, numerous isomers have been examined as possible flavor potentiators. Of the 2, 3, or 5 isomers, only the 5 -nucleotides have been shown to have potentiating activity [12,13]. With the 5 stracture, a hydroxy group in the 6 position is required to generate flavor potentiation. 

---