Buffer Capacity Curves of Flavoring Foods

Abstract

Buffer capacity curves (β-pH curves) of various flavoring foods such as shoyu, miso, katsuo-bushi, solid soup stock and dashi-no-moto were recorded using the recently developed β-titrator. Recorded curves showed diversities in morphology and magnitudes, yet also had a common pattern characteristic to this kind of food. According to this pattern it seemed reasonable to mark off the curve into 3 pH regions where the dissociating groups mainly contributing to the buffer capacity were: C region, carboxylic groups; P region, inorganic and organic phosphates and also various imidazole compounds; and N region, amino groups. In contrast to the naturally derived flavoring foods that showed a prominent peak or a shoulder in the P region, artificially processed commercial flavoring foods generally lacked these and the morphology in their C and N regions indicated the presence of added glutamate, whose amount was large enough to make its flavor a dominant one in this kind of flavoring food. © 1982, Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.