UMAMI AS THE FIFTH BASIC TASTE AND ITS FUNCTION TO INCREASING THE APPETITE TOWARD THE

PUBLICS BETTERMENT OF NUTRITION STATUS

Background : Basic taste is the different taste that can not be created although by combining with
the other taste. Beside of four basic tase that wellknown before, in 1808 Dr. Kikunae Ikida find the fifth
basic taste called Umami. Umami came from Japanese language umai which have same meaning
with savoury, deliciousess, brothy. Indonesia called it gurih. As the fifth basic taste, umami has
the unique taste and different from the other basic taste. Umami can waken the appetite caused by this
unique taste. Hopefully by increasing the appetite, it can fulfilledthe nutrition needed by the body and
can repairing persons nutrition status.
Purpose : Knowing umami as the fifth basic taste, the ingredients as source of umami, and its
advantages in the way to repairing peoples nutrition status.
Method : Literaturs study by search or collect the materials thah connected with umamiand
public health by text book and article from internet.
Result : Based on literature umami is the fifth basic taste that naturally contained in foods and
its collaboration in food can increasing the appetite thus can fulfilled he nutrition aspect needed by
body.
Conclusion :Tongue has reseptor for umamis subtance. There are three substances of umami,
Glutamate, inosilate, and guanilat. Beside that umumi that come from glutamat can be found in foods,
for instance tomato, asparagus, some kind of mushrooms, chicken, nori, crabs, shrimp, etc. umami has
fisiologic function and nutrition that use to repairing persons nutrition status.
Keyword :Basic Taste, Umami, Glutamate, Appetite