Question:easy
Umami taste is evoked by:
Umami taste is evoked by:
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Umami is the savoury taste linked to monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Glucose
- Glutamic acid
- Quinine
- Sodium chloride
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Recall the five primary tastes and the classic chemical that represents each one. Sweet is sugar, salty is sodium, sour is acid (hydrogen ions), bitter is alkaloids, and umami is the savoury taste tied to amino acids.
Step 2: Umami specifically responds to L-glutamate. The molecule glutamic acid, and its sodium salt monosodium glutamate, bind to dedicated taste glutamate receptors on the tongue and generate the umami signal.
Step 3: Eliminate by mapping each remaining option to its own taste category. Glucose stimulates sweet receptors, the alkaloid quinine is the textbook bitter agent, and sodium chloride activates amiloride sensitive sodium channels for salty. So each of these belongs to a different taste, not umami.
Step 4: The one option that is an amino acid and that pairs with umami receptors is glutamic acid.
\[\boxed{\text{Glutamic acid}}\]
Step 2: Umami specifically responds to L-glutamate. The molecule glutamic acid, and its sodium salt monosodium glutamate, bind to dedicated taste glutamate receptors on the tongue and generate the umami signal.
Step 3: Eliminate by mapping each remaining option to its own taste category. Glucose stimulates sweet receptors, the alkaloid quinine is the textbook bitter agent, and sodium chloride activates amiloride sensitive sodium channels for salty. So each of these belongs to a different taste, not umami.
Step 4: The one option that is an amino acid and that pairs with umami receptors is glutamic acid.
\[\boxed{\text{Glutamic acid}}\]
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