Molecular and Sensory Studies on the Umami Taste of Japanese Green Tea

Shu Kaneko,*† Kenji Kumazawa,† Hideki Masuda,† Andrea Henze,‡ and Thomas Hofmann‡
Material R & D Laboratory, Ogawa & Co. Ltd., Chidori 15-7, 279-0032, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, and Institut fr Lebensmittelchemie, Universitt Mnster, Corrensstrasse 45, D-48149, Mnster, Germany
J. Agric. Food Chem., 2006, 54 (7), pp 2688–2694
DOI: 10.1021/jf0525232
Publication Date (Web): March 10, 2006
Copyright © 2006 American Chemical Society
*

 To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel:  +81-47-305-1402. Fax:  +81-47-305-1416. E-mail:  kaneko.shu@ogawa.net.

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†

 Ogawa & Co. Ltd..

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‡

 Universität Münster.

Abstract

Aimed at defining the key drivers for the quality-determining umami taste of a high-grade powdered green tea, called mat-cha, a bioactivity-guided fractionation using solvent extraction, solvent precipitation, preparative chromatographic separations, and human psychophysical experiments was applied on freshly prepared mat-cha. Liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry and one-/two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance studies on isolated fractions led to the identification of l-theanine, succinic acid, 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid (gallic acid), and (1R,2R,3R,5S)-5-carboxy-2,3,5-trihydroxycyclohexyl-3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate (theogallin) as umami-enhancing compounds in the green tea beverage, and it can be shown by sensory studies that these compounds are able to raise the umami intensity of sodium l-glutamate proportionally.

Keywords: Taste; taste enhancer; umami; green tea; mat-cha; theogallin; l-theanine

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History

  • Published In Issue April 05, 2006
  • Received for review October 12, 2005. Revised manuscript received February 10, 2006. Accepted February 11, 2006.

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