Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Cookery Science

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{Objective} When evaluating Dashi in Japanese cuisine, the chef uses the word umami and miscellaneous taste. Umami has been used as an important factor in evaluating the quality of Dashi since it was discovered to be one of the basic tastes. On the other hand, there is no definite definition of miscellaneous taste, and quality evaluation viewed from miscellaneous taste has hardly been performed. By considering the miscellaneous taste, it is possible to perform a complex quality analysis in consideration of the balance between the umami necessary for Konbu-Dashi and the miscellaneous taste that has been considered unnecessary in the past. In this research, therefore, the objective was to clarify the characteristics of the Konbu-Dashi which the chef is conscious of miscellaneous taste.
{Methods} As samples, natural kelp and natural water from the Southern Alps were used. Konbu-Dashi was prepared by five different methods with different pre-treatments, extraction temperatures and times, that is, “25℃→95℃(10 minutes)”, “25℃→100 ℃(after boiling after boiling 30minutes)”, “25℃ to 95℃(10minutes, using chopped kelp)”, “60℃(30minutes)”, and 3℃(10hours). Measurement of carbohydrates by mid-infrared spectroscopy, mineral measurement by fluorescent X-ray spectrometry, and amino acid measurement by high performance liquid chromatography were performed for each Konbu-Dashi. In addition, presence or absence of miscellaneous taste was confirmed using sensory test.
{Results} In the five kinds of Konbu-Dashi, miscellaneous taste was confirmed only in the Dashi prepared using the chopped kelp. Comparing the Konbu-Dashi that felt miscellaneous to others, the content of umami ingredients such as glutamic acid and aspartic acid is low, and that of minerals such as potassium and chlorine is high in the X-ray Fluoresce. The peak value of the band derived from saccharides is high in the mid-infrared spectrum. Therefore, the Konbu-Dashi with miscellaneous taste has confirmed the characteristic that "There are few umami. And minerals and saccharides are relatively high". In addition, it was suggested that the miscellaneous taste may be a relative taste caused by less amount of umami ingredients and relative enhancement of other ingredients.

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