Flavour Enhancers in Food Products

"Glutamate is naturally present in many foods such as ripened cheese, soy sauce and tomatoes. The nucleotide IMP is abundant in meat and some fish products, while some mushrooms, oysters and meat are rich in nucleotide GMP."

However when present in a food together they are synergistic. In fact it has been demonstrated that the interaction between glutamate and IMP or GMP creates amplified taste perceptions in comparison with those generated by a single ingredient. This justifies the simultaneous presence of nucleotides and glutamate in food products such as stock cubes, ready-to eat meals and salty snacks."