Other food enhancers

There are several other known natural organic chemicals in our foods that also enhance

flavor. These are much more powerful in their effect than MSG, anywhere from 15 to 100 times

more. The food industry uses two of these extensively. Food scientists in the late 1990s are testing

another dozen for similar use. They are particularly useful in today's processed foods when the

demand for lower fat forced processors to remove not only fat but a portion of both the flavor and

the mouth feel. Food enhancers may fill the gap.

The two in wide use are IMP (short for 5'-inosine monophosphate) and GMP (short for 5'-

guanosine monophosphate). (For those fanatics who are not organic chemists but want to be correct

in pronouncing these chemicals, the 5' in the name is pronounced "five prime"). Study some food

labels on cans and packages on your shelf and you will find names like 5'-inosinate, 5'-guanylate,

disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, inosinate and guanylate. These are variations on the names

for the same two enhancers, IMP and GMP.

TASTINGS Where they come from

IMP and GMP are now synthesized chemically, but they still extract MSG from raw

food material—sugar beets, corn and wheat gluten—through natural fermentation.

The Japanese first extracted IMP from dried bonito, a Pacific tuna, in the early 1900s, but no

one used it as an enhancer until the 1970s. GMP was first identified and extracted from Oriental

black fungus, a mushroom, in the 1960s. Both substances occur in tiny amounts in many other

foods—seafood, meats, poultry, dairy, vegetables, fruits. IMP is particularly prevalent in many

ocean fish, pork and beef. Mushrooms contain a lot of GMP in addition to their high MSG content.

Each of these enhancers triggers different responses from our taste buds. IMP enhance salty

flavors and GMP sweet flavors, as well as suppressing undesirable off-flavors. Processors often use

them in various combinations with MSG.

TASTINGS Food enhancers in hot dogs

Here is an example of how much food enhancers meat packers use in a 20-pound

batch of hot dogs. They may add one or several of these four. Depending on which

they chose, the perception of flavor (not the flavor itself) will be a little different.

The amount they add varies quite a bit, but the degree of flavor enhancement is

about equivalent:

MSG

IMP

GMP

30 grams (7½ teaspoons)

1.5 grams (1/3 teaspoon)

0.6 grams (0.2 teaspoon)

I+G (50-50 mix of

IMP and GMP)

0.9 grams (¼ teaspoon)

Maltol and ethylmaltol are two organic enhancers that processors use to enhance sweetness

in commercially produced food, particularly fruit juices. At a lower level of only 50 parts per

million (0.00005%) they enhance sweetness so much that processors can reduce sugar by 15 percent

and you still perceive the same sweetness. At a level of 500 parts per million (0.0005%) you

perceive a smooth mouthfeel when eating food containing these enhancers. (Maltol is one of the

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