What is M.S.G?
M.S.G is the glutamic sodium salt, while glutamate is a type of amino acid widely included in all types of protein.
How is M.S.G made?
The production of M.S.G is a type of fermentation process, which is similar to the fermentation process of beer, vinegar, soy sauce as well as cheese, while the main ingredients are from natural plants, such as sugarcane molasses, beet molasses, or manioc starch and cereal starch.
What is the difference between the metabolism process of M.S.G and that of the natural glutamate from food in human bodies?
The answer is that they are completely the same. Glutamate is metabolized mainly in the intestine after entering the human body, where energy is generated. During the metabolism process, the human body cannot tell the source of the glutamate. For example, it cannot distinguish the glutamate in tomatoes from that in M.S.G. Many studies have shown that, the glutamic acid from both M.S.G and food play important roles in the normal functioning of the digestion system.
Will adding more M.S.G make food taste better?
Basically, the taste of M.S.G has its own limit like salt. Adequate amount of M.S.G can result in decent flavor while adding more will bring about no further positive effect.
Will the addition of M.S.G make food factories turn to materials with worse quality for the same high-quality taste?
The answer is no. The main function of M.S.G is to enhance the good quality of the food itself.
Will the amount of additional glutamic acid from M.S.G exceed the appropriate amount for daily absorption?
Since M.S.G is only used for flavor enhancement, the glutamic acid it contains is only a small part of the daily absorption amount, which is normally about 10 to 20 grams per day, while the M.S.G only contributes 0.5 to 1.5 grams to it.
Reference: International Glutamate information Service
Is adding M.S.G safe to human bodies?
The answer is positive. Over the past 40 years, countless scientific studies from both Asia and the West have shown that the use of M.S.G in either food processing or cooking is safe for human bodies, and it is also allowed by all countries.
FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has concluded that there is no regulation on the acceptable daily intake (ADI). In the early 1950s, due to the worldwide increase in processed food, FAO and WHO established a new committee called JECFA to evaluate the safety of food additives. After four rounds of safety evaluation, FAO/WHO JECFA classified M.S.G into the safest “no specific requirement on ADI” level.
EU: No specific regulation on ADI.
In 1991, the Scientific Committee for Food of EU has verified the safety of M.S.G. According to massive scientific evidence, and the fact that the majority of sodium glutamate is absorbed through the regular intake of food, the committee reckoned that setting the ADI for M.S.G is not necessary.
US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA): The safety of M.S.G is once again verified.
In the US, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, FASEB) funded by USFDA verified the safety of M.S.G as a popular food material and pointed out that there is no scientific evidence that M.S.G is harmful to health.
Is M.S.G also safe for babies?
The answer is definitely positive. Many scientific studies have shown that babies share the same metabolism capability in terms of M.S.G as adults. In fact, breast milk has much more glutamate than cow’s milk.
Reference:
S. Yamaguchi & K. Ninomiya (2000) J. Nutr., 130, 921S-926S.
J. A. Mennella et al. (1995) Chemical Senses, 20, 208-209.
Apart from enhancing the flavors of foods, what other benefits does M.S.G have to human bodies?
Many scientific studies published in Japan and the US have shown that, in fact, in addition to enhancing the flavors of foods, it also enjoys a series of important effects to human bodies, including enhancing the secretion of saliva, gastric juice as well as ferment from the digestive system, improving the immunity against germs and filterable virus. The latest report shows that, glutamic acid enjoys the effect of reducing blood pressure (JAHA, July 2009)
