Umami Taste: Inborn and Experiential Effects on Taste Acceptance and Satiation During Infancy

From an early age, humans can detect the umami taste sensation of the free amino acid glutamate, as evidenced by the facial expressions of pleasure displayed by newborns. This chapter briefly reviews the biology of umami flavor and summarizes the earliest routes of exposure to free amino acids in amniotic fluid, human milk, and infant formula, highlighting how exposure to free glutamate, and umami tastes, varies from gestation to postnatal feedings and from infant to infant. It then summarizes scientific evidence revealing that during infancy, the amount of free glutamate ingested impacts satiation and growth during milk feedings, as well as the development of preferences for similarly flavored foods. The study of umami as a basic taste during infancy and childhood has been neglected compared to other basic tastes, and gaps in knowledge are highlighted.