ScienceDaily Magazine -- Homing In On A Receptor For The Fifth Taste Homing In On A Receptor For The Fifth Taste
Humans can recognize five tastes: bitter, salty, sour, sweet and umami. Of the five, however, umami is the most difficult to describe — it’s the flavor associated with monosodium glutamate (MSG). Now, researchers have identified a taste receptor that responds to amino acids, including umami, and they hope to develop a more precise description of the molecular events that allow the brain to perceive the five different tastes.