Well-prepared foods deliver a flavor experience that goes beyond the five basic tastes of sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. This taste sensation is called "kokumi", a Japanese word used to express the concept of "deliciousness", a blend of initial flavor impact, continuity and roundness.
The kokumi seasoning benefits a wide variety of applications. Meat and poultry products acquire a fuller, longer-lasting taste, while seafood enjoys heightened cooked seafood flavor without the fishy smell during storage. Vegetables, especially tomato, exhibit the sweetness and distinct flavor of cooked vegetables, as well as improved mouthfulness.
For instance, the seasoning gives ketchup a richer tomato taste and creamier texture, and provides retorted pasta sauce with a well-balanced tomato and meat flavor and improved body.
Dry soup mixes and canned items, such as cream-based soups with cheese, have a richer mouthfeel and heightened the flavor impact of cheese.
Koji-Aji, produced with a patented manufacturing method, consists of yeast extract rich in nucleotides, fermented wheat gluten and maltodextrin.