Labeled ingredients and preference for instant soup stock

Abstract

  We examined ingredients used for 63 products as consuming instant bonito-kelp stock has been popular.  Only the 5% of examined products consist of pure bonito stock or bonito-kelp stock while the majority of products contain 'Umami' and some seasonings in addition to bonito stock or bonito-kelp stock.  We have made bonito-kelp soup and four kinds of dishes using both natural bonito-kelp stock and instant bonito-kelp stock. We evaluated the tastes of the soup and the dishes made with the instant stock in comparison with the ones made with the natural stock from the point of strength/ weakness, being good/ bad, and the level of similarity following sensory evaluation.  In regard to the bonito-kelp soup, the one made with the instant stock was significantly sweeter, saltier and had more 'Umami' and less bitter than the one made with the natural stock.  In regard to the soup bowl, which is one of the dishes cooked, the one made with the instant stock was regarded as that they were significantly stronger in the taste and more preferred. For all the dishes, the ones made with the instant stock received the higher evaluations though they tended to be less balanced in the way that they were sweeter and had more 'Umami' while they were less bitter and less sour compared to the ones made with the natural stock.  We had interviews to explore what kind of soup stock people use.  For miso-soup, the 70.9% of interviewees use instant soup stock and the 18.2% of interviewees even use the instant miso containing soup stock and it resulted in that almost the 90% of interviewees use some kind of instant products.  For simmered sato-potates, the 50.0% of interviewees use instant soup stock and for Spinach-ohitashi, the 53.6% of interviewees actually do not use any soup stock, but the 12.7% of interviewees use instant soup stock and the 29.1% of interviewees use seasoning soy-sauce out of the interviewees who use some kind of instant products.