Nutrition & Food

·

Study

Mushroom Powders Tested as MSG Replacements in Meatballs

Mushroom Powders Tested as MSG Replacements in Meatballs

Oyster mushroom, Shiitake, Wood ear

What they found

Mushroom powders, especially shiitake, added protein and umami to meatballs but still trailed commercial flavorings in taste tests.

Mushroom powders, especially shiitake, added protein and umami to meatballs but still trailed commercial flavorings in taste tests.

How solid is it?

Lab dish

Lab dish

Lab – chemical analysis

Lab – chemical analysis

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Pleurotus ostreatus, Lentinula edodes, Auricularia auricula

Pleurotus ostreatus, Lentinula edodes, Auricularia auricula

Published in

RePEc

RePEc

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

GROWING & GOURTMET

GROWING & GOURTMET

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Healthier Meatballs

Healthier Meatballs

Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus), shiitake (Lentinula edodes), and wood ear (Auricularia auricula) mushrooms were tested as natural alternatives to MSG in Indonesian-style meatballs. The powders boosted protein and umami flavor, with shiitake performing best among the mushroom options. However, commercial flavorings like Totole and Halawa still outperformed mushrooms in taste tests, suggesting mushroom-based flavorings are promising but need more refinement to fully replace MSG.

Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus), shiitake (Lentinula edodes), and wood ear (Auricularia auricula) mushrooms were tested as natural alternatives to MSG in Indonesian-style meatballs. The powders boosted protein and umami flavor, with shiitake performing best among the mushroom options. However, commercial flavorings like Totole and Halawa still outperformed mushrooms in taste tests, suggesting mushroom-based flavorings are promising but need more refinement to fully replace MSG.

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