Tag: Kokumi

For over a century, scientists believed our tongues could detect only five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. However, new research suggests that our palate is far more complex, begging the question: what is the sixth taste and what does it mean for our understanding of flavor?

For over a century, the culinary world recognized four basic tastes—sweet, sour, salty, and bitter—before formally accepting umami as the fifth. But what is the 6th taste sense that food scientists and chefs are now exploring? It is a sensation known as kokumi, a Japanese term for a flavor-modifying concept that adds complexity and richness to other tastes.

According to research published in the journal *Nature Communications*, humans possess a specific receptor that detects ammonium chloride, suggesting it could be the newest addition to the taste family. The scientific discovery adds a new chapter to the ongoing quest to answer the question: what is the 6th type of taste, expanding beyond the five well-established senses of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.