Mitani Sangyo Proposes “Enoki Mushroom Extract and Dashi Stock”—Delivering Both Umami and Flavor Masking and Offering a Potential Substitute for Marine-derived Ingredients【PR】

In the seasoning industry, a major challenge is finding the right balance between maximizing umami and masking unwanted flavors.
Mitani Sangyo is proposing a new food ingredient that addresses this trade-off.
The company’s “Enoki Mushroom Extract” and “Enoki Mushroom Concentrated Dashi Stock,” made from enoki mushrooms grown in Japan, can mask soybean and sour odors while still imparting the original umami flavor of enoki mushrooms.
Unlike marine-derived resources that are increasingly becoming depleted, these new products are attracting attention as a viable alternative for which stable supplies can be procured.
The company will be participating in “ifia Japan 2026” at Tokyo Big Sight from May 27 to 29.
During the event, it will provide samples that allow visitors to experience firsthand how the products achieve both umami and flavor masking effects.
A distinguishing feature of “Enoki Mushroom Extract” and “Enoki Mushroom Concentrated Dashi Stock” is the unprecedented umami of enoki mushrooms, achieved and sustained through the company’s unique manufacturing method (patent pending).
Because the products contain 18 of the 20 amino acids, they can maintain a rich umami flavor, beginning with the initial notes of glutamate all the way through to the mid-palate and aftertaste. This allows them to impart complex flavors even to plain miso soup with no added ingredients.

Another distinctive feature is their powerful flavor masking effect.
According to testing conducted by Mitani Sangyo, when 1% “Enoki Mushroom Extract” was added to unflavored soy milk, all sales prospects who tasted it reported a reduction in the soybean odor.
Existing masking agents can sometimes mask even the flavors that we wish to retain. However, according to Tomoyuki Saito (Business Development Office, Corporate Planning Division), since these products were originally intended to enhance umami, the masking effect does not dilute the umami flavors.
For example, when added to simmered pumpkin, they reduce the astringency while maintaining the umami flavor, indicating that both the masking and umami enhancement effects are achieved.
In addition, they can reduce the bitterness of vegetable juice, matcha, and hops, making them smoother and more mellow.
The enoki mushrooms used as the ingredients for these products are exclusively from Nagano Prefecture, which accounts for approximately 60% of Japan’s total enoki mushroom production volume.
The drastic decline in the harvest volume of marine resources, such as bonito and kelp, is posing a challenge in recent times. Meanwhile, enoki mushrooms, an agricultural product, offer sufficient, scalable production capacity, making them an exceptional ingredient that can be supplied in a stable manner even when sourcing from specific production areas, as Mr. Saito explains. Therefore, they can be considered a highly sustainable next-generation ingredient for making extract and stock products.

Since enoki mushrooms themselves do not have a strong flavor, they can be used in a wide range of dishes including Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine.
The products are especially suitable for ready-to-eat meals and prepared deli foods, which often incorporate soy protein and shelf-life extending agents.
However, for users who desire a more distinctive mushroom flavor, the company offers a newly developed “Shimeji Mushroom Extract” derived from shimeji mushrooms grown in Japan.
According to Mr. Saito, “Enoki Mushroom Extract” is currently highly regarded primarily among meat processing manufacturers, likely because it has a synergistic effect with the nucleotide-derived umami of meat.
Mushrooms are very popular overseas, especially in countries with a strong focus on healthy living.
Since there are lower barriers to exporting agricultural products than exporting meat and fish, Mr. Saito expresses the company’s hopes that mushrooms will become one of the ingredients through which Japan can promote its traditional dashi (soup stock) culture.