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Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer that has been used in a wide variety of food products over
the years. It is a sodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid. Resembling salt or sugar in appearance when it is
isolated from a food, MSG does not have a distinctly recognizable taste. It triggers the taste buds newly classified as
being sensitive to "umami", a savory taste and loanword
borrowed from Japanese.
Chefs, even before giving a name to umami, have been using ingredients with a naturally high glutamate content to enhance the flavor of dishes. It is found in large quantities in ingredients such as tomatoes, mushrooms, corn, parmesan cheese and soy sauce, in addition to occuring in meats, like beef and chicken. It is the perception of MSG as a food additive - rather than as a naturally occurring flavoring - that has given it a bad name.
In the early 1800s, monosodium glutamate was isolated from seaweed, though it can now be manufactured synthetically, producing a version chemically identical to the naturally occurring one. In the late 1960s, people began to complain about experiencing headaches and other unpleasant sensations, most often after eating Chinese food. These symptoms were attributed to the presence of MSG and its reputation began to go downhill.The most recent study done by the FDA on the possible effects of MSG showed that, while people still claimed to be experiencing an variety of supposedly MSG-provoked symptoms, there was no evidence that these people were actually being harmed by the MSG. In fact, the study concluded that "there is no scientific evidence that the levels of glutamate in ... manufactured glutamate has effects different from glutamate normally found in foods."
Food writer Jeffrey Steingarten summed up the situation neatly, as pointed out on Epicurious: "'Two or three ounces of Parmesan cheese,' writes Jeffrey Steingarten in his hilarious analysis of MSG research in It Must've Been Something I Ate, 'contain enough free glutamate to give a headache to anybody who claims to be sensitive to MSG, and yet I have never heard of a Parmesan Headache.'"
Have you?
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2-03-2006 @9:08AM Judy said... It states in the FDA study that MSG can be made from sugar beets. Hmmmm... it seems that beets are on the list of things people who are prone to migrains should stay away from.
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2-03-2006 @10:07AM B said... I was told by my boss at a previous job that MSG is similar to a Chinese spice known as "arrowroot," which is why it's so common in chinese food. Is there any truth to that explanation?
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2-03-2006 @11:01AM Jonathan Harford said... I bought my first tiny shaker of "Accent" a few weeks ago, but am still too chicken to do more than sprinkle it on the occasional forkful of food.
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2-03-2006 @12:01PM TheMatt said... B, I don't see how there is any truth. Arrowroot is an powdered rhizome that is used to thicken liquids. In fact, it's probably the best thickener in amount needed, but it breaks down under heat. Of course, most Chinese restaurants use corn starch, I think.
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2-03-2006 @12:37PM Hawk said... you probably don't want a lot of glutamate in your *brain*, per se. One of the things that kills nerve cells during hypoxia is a buildup of glutamate, if I'm not mistaken.
However, glutamate's in a lot of food as this post points out. Monosodium Glutamate is a particular chemical, and as much as you can take MSG out of chinese food per se, you can't really get rid of soy sauce. Soy sauce contains naturally high levels of glutamate, as far as I know, as a result of the fermentation process.
You can also get the same effect as MSG without MSG by using hydrolyzed proteins. I'm convinced that the 'you can't eat just one' claim for Doritos is due to the hydrolyzed proteins they put in their chips. My cat's favorite treats contain it, and if I put a gigantic bucket of the treats down, I am certain my cat would eat them until she barfed, then eat them again and again and again. She won't do that with regular kibble or canned food, or anything else.
I am 'sensitive' to glutamates to some degree. I can definitely tell when i've eaten too much - burger king used to be notorious for putting a whole lot of something in their burgers, and I would start seeing everything in a sort of purplish hue.
However, consuming a lot of salt has similar effects. I have a sneaking suspicion that some of 'chinese restaurant syndrome' is simply due to the ingestion of a whole lot of sodium.
I think the worst possible thing about MSG and other glutamates is that they are used to make bland food palatable. I bet they are used in the 'artificial flavors and natural flavors' that make up the taste of a Big Mac, for example. It's not that the chemicals are *bad*, but that the food is so bad that the chemicals are added to make the food taste 'good' so the customer will be happy, or thirsty enough that they want to pay through the nose for soft drinks/liquor/beer.
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2-03-2006 @1:13PM tr said... hey hawk, have you ever eaten vegemite, or marmite? just wondering, because if you get symptoms from eating burger king, i'd hate to see what happens if you had some vegemite on toast, which i'm sure is something millions of australians eat daily.
personally, i have no problem with MSG. it's filipino seasoning staple (well, at least in my family). my MSG of choice? Ajinomoto brand.
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