Well,in 1908,Kikunae Ikeda identified a fifth'taste'.And it is thought that MSG intensifies thisnaturally occurring 'taste' in some food.
It does make perfect evolutionary sense that weshould have the ability to detect or taste glutamatebecause it is the amino acid which is most common innatural foods.
John Prescott,an associate professor at theUniversity of Chicago,suggests that this fifth tasteserves a purpose just as the other tastes do.Hesuggests that it signals to us the presence ofprotein in food,in the same way that sweetness indicates that a food contains energy-giveingcarbohydrates.Bitterness,he says,alerts us of toxins in the food,while sourness warns us ofspoilage and saltiness signals the presence of minerals.
So,what else do we know about this fifth taste...