TASTING-GC^®, a new evaluation technique, as a method to search for flavor-enhancing components of dried bonito flakes

The mellow aroma of bonito broth is a major attraction, not to mention its delicious flavor. The aroma of bonito flakes is said to enhance the salty and umami flavors of dashi broth, but there have been no reports on a comprehensive search to determine which of the many aroma components affect the taste.
In this study, we used our proprietary evaluation method “TASTING-GC^®”, which is based on GC-O odor analysis, to search for components that contribute to the taste of various soups among bonito flakes aroma, and confirmed that several components such as 4-Ethylguaiacol enhance the umami taste of dashi broth.

The results of this research were presented at the 2021 Sendai Conference of the Japanese Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry (2021) in an online oral presentation entitled “Application of TASTING-GC^®, a new evaluation technique, as a method to search for taste-enhancing components of dried bonito flakes”.