Umami compounds enhance the intensity of retronasal sensation of aromas from model chicken soups

• Adding Glu and IMP largely enhanced retronasal aroma sensation in a model chicken soup.
• MSG at up to 0.3% enhanced aroma sensation by up to 2.5-folds.
• Enhancement of aroma sensation plateaued with excess concentration of umami compounds.

We examined the influence of taste compounds on retronasal aroma sensation using a model chicken soup. The aroma intensity of a reconstituted flavour solution from which glutamic acid (Glu), inosine 5′-monophosphate (IMP), or phosphate was omitted was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that of the model soup. The aroma intensity of 0.4% NaCl solution containing the aroma chicken model (ACM) with added Glu and IMP was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of 0.4% NaCl solution containing only ACM. The quantitative analyses showed that adding monosodium glutamate (MSG) to aqueous aroma solution containing only ACM enhanced the intensity of retronasal aroma sensation by 2.5-folds with increasing MSG concentration from 0% to 0.3%. Sensation intensity using an umami solution with added MSG and IMP was significantly higher than that with only MSG when the MSG concentration was 0.05%, 0.075%, or 0.1%. However, it plateaued when MSG concentration was beyond 0.3%.