Evaluation of an intervention on monosodium glutamate or UMAMI taste awareness among citizens

Abstract

Background: The human tongue senses 4 types of taste: sweet, bitter, sour, and salty. In 1908, Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda discovered this taste by studying dashi in seaweed, and in 1985, at an international conference in Hawaii, UMAMI was recognized as the 5th sense of taste. This taste is a unique taste that makes you want to eat more, as you experience high protein products. Umami is a Japanese word meaning & quot;good taste, good taste&quot;. Monosodium glutamate is not sweet on its own, but it enhances the pleasant taste of many foods, including meat, fish, vegetables, soups, and sauces. Aim: Evaluation of the knowledge of food products containing monosodium glutamate (E621) among citizens through an intervention Materials and Methods: The study was conducted using an analytical survey snapshot design. 400 people aged 20-40 were randomly sampled from 6 districts of Ulaanbaatar (Bayanzurh, Sukhbaatar, Chingeltei, Khan-Uul, Bayangol, Songino-Khairkhan) and 120 people were trained, and the questionnaire was taken again after the training. The data was collected by asking the research participant a pre-prepared questionnaire to assess the knowledge of UMAMI taste. (Reliability rating of the question – 83.45%) When evaluating the knowledge score, it was divided into 3 parts equal to the 33rd percentile and the 66th percentile. The pre-intervention score was divided into 74 (inadequate), 75-80 (average), 81 (satisfactory) and above, while after the intervention it was classified as 104 (inadequate), 105-110 (average), and more than 111 (satisfactory). Research work analysis of data, median, interquartile range, maximum meaning, minimum meaning, independent 2-sample T-test and related 2-sample T-test were used for prediction, and statistical significance was considered when р<0.05. Results: Interventure 18 - 52 years of age and 50.0% of the age 26 - 39 years old, 64 (53.0%) is a male and 83 (69.5%) is married, 93 (77.5%) is involved in full medium-educated citizens. The assessment is statistically with statistics and body weights, but inadequate valued people were reduced after intervention. Conclusion: Among the participants of the study, the UMAMI taste is being introduced to the citizens.