Marine umami substances and characteristic tastes of seafood

Seafood is famous for its deliciousness. Characteristic tastes of seafood are composed of not only umami substances (such as certain amino acids , nucleotides and succinic acid), but also some other taste-active components (such as some amino acids, inorganic ions and other compounds). Content of umami substances of some marine products is listed in this paper, and the relationship between structures and properties of umami substances are shown. The progresses in research of characteristic taste of seafood are also reviewed. Furthermore, the development trends of research on marine umami substances are predicted.