Dapur Umami from PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA (Ajinomoto) held a Cooking Class Event with the theme: "A Taste of Umami" for cooking enthusiasts who are members of ABC Cooking Studio on November 29 2022. In this event, all cooking enthusiasts are first invited to Get to know the Umami Kitchen platform from Ajinomoto, which has many interactive features such as Ask NutriExpert, Umami Journal, Exchange Umami Coins, and more than 900 practical recipes that are sure to be delicious and nutritionally balanced because there is nutrition value information on each menu recipe.
After being invited to get to know more about the features of the Dapur Umami, all cooking enthusiasts were also invited to experience directly the difference between salty and umami flavors through a sensory test session, the aim of this session is to be able to balance salty flavor and not consume excessive sodium from salt (as the main source of salty taste). Apart from that, cooking enthusiasts were also introduced to the Smart Salt campaign.
Present as one of the speakers, Katarina Larasati - Product and Nutrition Manager, PR Department of PT AJINOMOTO INDONESIA, who presented a sensory test session, MSG Safety & Benefits, and an introduction to Smart Salt.
“There are four basic tastes that we are more familiar with, like sweet, salty, bitter, sour. Now the last thing to be discovered is umami or savory taste, discovered by a scientist from Japan, namely Dr. Kikunae Ikeda. In the sensory test session this time according to the theme of the program 'A Taste of Umami', all of you can distinguish chicken broth which tastes more savory and delicious with a little bit MSG & salt, compared to chicken broth with salt which only tastes salty," said Katarina.
"Then, regarding the Smart Salt campaign that is being activated by Ajinomoto, first of all I would like to explain regarding the role of sodium from salt which is actually really needed by the body as an essential nutrient for various physiological mechanisms such as ensuring body fluid balance and also playing a role in regulating muscle function. and nerves. However, if consumed in excess can lead to various degenerative diseases such as hypertension, stroke, heart failure, diabetes, and others. According to WHO, the safe recommendation for daily consumption of salt is less than 5 grams. So, Ajinomoto's Smart Salt campaign invites Indonesian families to live a healthier life by reducing their intake or use of salt in preparing food, but can still get a high taste, by adding a little MSG," she continued.
According to Katarina, in fact, using MSG can be a strategy for a low-salt diet. This is because the sodium content in MSG is only one-third (⅓) of the sodium content in ordinary table salt. Another thing that was also discussed in this session was the safety aspect of MSG. As a salt reduction solution, until now MSG has been declared safe by the National Health Agency (BPOM) and the world, for consumption with daily intake limits: Secukupnya. The negative issues that have been associated with MSG are myths that have not been scientifically proven to be related. So cooking enthusiasts can apply the Smart Salt concept without worry.
In the next session, cooking enthusiast friends are of course invited to make delicious, healthy food creations, and of course Salt Wise. The menu in this cooking class is Chicken Meatballs & Mushroom Soup which uses the latest variant of the Masako® Taste Savory Pas broth. With Masako® Taste Savory Pas which has a lower salt content with just the right savory taste, making the Chicken Meatballs & Mushroom Soup menu not only delicious but also healthier.
There are lots of benefits for all cooking enthusiasts who attend this event. Apart from getting useful health information, all participants also get e-commerce vouchers to buy products at Ajinomoto official store, and have the opportunity to collaborate with Dapur Umami in future events. By logging in and becoming a member at https://www.dapurumami.com/, consumers will get various benefits through these features. Cooking enthusiasts such as Member ABC Cooking studio are a very relevant segment to this platform, so this collaboration is expected to be a good thing for them as consumers.
Having existed since 2011, Dapur Umami digital platform aims to make it easier for consumers to find various things related to menu references, cooking tips, and nutritional value information. So that it doesn’t only provide practical, easy and delicious menu references, but also ensures that it is nutritious. This is one of Ajinomoto's efforts to be more engaged and in direct contact with consumers through digital platforms (social media and the Dapur Umami website), and one of Ajinomoto’s ways to contribute or give value (Ajinomoto Shared Value) to the Indonesian people on health issues (malnutrition).