Umami taste characteristics of water extract of Doenjang, a Korean soybean paste: Low-molecular acidic peptides may be a possible clue to the taste

► We determined the umami taste characteristics of doenjang, a Korean soybean paste. ► Low-MW acidic peptides (1000 > MW ⩾ 500) are responsible for higher umami taste characteristics. ► Taste-active fractions had a highest molar ration of Glu and Asp.