| Abstract | Donedavno se smatralo kako postoje tek četiri osnovne okusne kvalitete koje uključuju slatko, slano, kiselo i gorko. Međutim, danas govorimo i o petom okusu, odnosno umami okusnom doživljaju koji još uvijek nije u potpunosti razjašnjen. Umami doživljaj važan je zbog raspoznavanja prisutnosti proteina u hrani, a doprinose mu brojni stimulansi od kojih se posebno ističu natrijev glutamat te 5'-inozin monofosfat i 5'-gvanozin monofosfat. Sinergističko djelovanje između stimulansa vrlo često rezultira jačim intenzitetom cjelokupnog okusnog doživljaja. Natrijev glutamat, koji se prirodno nalazi u mnogim namirnicama, često se dodaje u prehrambene proizvode kao aditiv. Iako natrijev glutamat kao aditiv pozitivno utječe na okusna svojstva proizvoda, u posljednje vrijeme spominju se i njegovi negativni učinci na zdravlje koji su predmet brojnih istraživanja. Stoga je cilj ovog rada, pregledom novije znanstvene literature, pojasniti dosadašnje spoznaje o umami okusnom doživljaju i sastojcima koji mu doprinose. |
| Abstract (english) | Until recently, it was believed that there were only four basic taste qualities, i.e. sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. However, today there is even the „fifth taste“, i.e. umami taste, which has still not been completely explained. The umami taste is important for discerning proteins in food, and it has numerous contributing stimulants, the most important among them being monosodium glutamate, 5‟ inosine monophosphate, and 5‟ guanosine monophosphate. Synergic function between the stimulants can very often result in higher intensity of the complete taste perception. Monosodium glutamate, which is natural compound in many foodstuff, is often added in dietary products as an additive. Although monosodium glutamate as an additive has a positive effect on the taste perception of a product, recently, its negative effects on health are the topic of many researches. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to clarify former concepts about the umami taste perception and its contributing qualities by reviewing recent scientific literature. |
