Kumiko Ninomiya

Kumiko Ninomiya, often referred to as 'Mama Umami', is a biochemist who played a pivotal role in the scientific recognition of umami as a distinct taste. In the 1980s, she worked to legitimize umami through her research, demonstrating the existence of specific receptors for this taste, thereby changing the culinary landscape and contributing to a resurgence of interest in monosodium glutamate as a flavor enhancer.