Umami evaluation in taste epithelium on microelectrode array by extracellular electrophysiological recording

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sensory Science
• Food Science

Background:

• Umami is a fundamental taste, crucial for food palatability.
• Amino acids and their salts are primary elicitors of the umami taste.
• Biological responses of taste epithelium can quantify umami perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate umami taste using electrophysiological recordings.
• To differentiate between various umami compounds and their salts.
• To investigate dose-dependent and synergistic effects in umami taste perception.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 60-channel microelectrode array (MEA) to record electrophysiological activities.
• Measured local field potentials (LFPs) from taste epithelium in response to umami stimuli.
• Administered umami tastants including l-glutamic acid (l-Glu), l-aspartic acid (l-Asp), l-monosodium glutamate (l-MSG), and l-monosodium aspartate (l-MSA).

Main Results:

• Distinct temporal characteristics were observed for different umami compounds and their sodium salts.
• Significant differences in electrophysiological responses were noted between amino acids and their corresponding salts.
• Dose-dependent responses to increasing concentrations of umami stimuli were detected.
• Synergistic enhancement of umami taste was observed between amino acids and purine nucleotides.

Conclusions:

• Electrophysiological evaluation using MEAs offers a promising method for distinguishing and quantifying umami tastants.
• The study highlights the potential of biological responses for objective umami taste assessment.
• Understanding these responses aids in characterizing the complex nature of umami flavor profiles.