Japanese food enhancer -- BBC Breakfast

[rescuer]

BBC Breakfast this morning showed a food enhancer. I missed the first part of the programme but I think it originated in Japan.
Later I switched to Ch 5 and on The Wright Show they appeared to have just dealt with the product.
BBC iplayer does not yet have the programme so I can'f find details and the name.
I think it was said that product would be in supermarkets shortly.
Does anyone know of this item?.

[bibblebub]

umami

[LoftyLottie]

When they showed it on TV this morning they squeezed it out the tube and it looked just like a heap of poo!

[rescuer]

Thanks for prompt replies. But Loftie lottie are you trying to put me off the product?!?

[LoftyLottie]

;o)

Not at all. But it really did look like a pile of dog poo!

[jackintheboxes]

I never seen the program but i read this yesterday and im assuming you mean "Umami"?
Im a bit of a foodie and look forward to trying this myself.

http://www.dailymail....king-fifth-taste.html

[chelle7272]

That sounds like one of Vic's words on Shooting Stars! lol

[brenda]

Some more artificial rubbish to add to food I suppose.Wonder just how much a human body can take of all this chemical cr*p.
All these things seem to rely on bird brained people who haven't got a clue .
What ever happened to ordinary food?

[woofgang]

actually the point of this stuff (I think it will be sold under the brand name "5th flavour or 5th taste) is that it it made from ingredients which naturally contain umami...sundried tomatoes, anchovy, mushroom etc IIRC

[Donquixote]

Woofgang's right...'umami' is the Japanese word used to describe an additional taste, over the sweet, sour, savoury and salt that we are more familiar with. It's supposed to be a 'meaty' flavour, but not in the literal flesh sense, more the musty savoury-ness that you find in wild mushrooms or soy sauce, for example. MSG was developed for this reason - to enhance the umame element in food, but this new stuff would appear to be a little more naturally derived.