| What are Glutamate and MSG?
Glutamate is one of the most common amino acids found in nature. It is the main component of many proteins and peptides, and is
present in most tissues. Glutamate is also produced in the body and plays an essential role in human metabolism. Virtually
every food contains glutamate. It is a major component of most natural protein foods such as meat, fish, milk and some vegetables.
MSG is the sodium salt of glutamate and is simply glutamate, water and sodium. In the early 1900s scientists isolated the
ingredient-glutamate-in plants that is the essential taste component responsible for greatly enhancing flavor. In the early part of
this century, MSG was extracted from seaweed and other plant sources. Today, MSG is produced in many countries around the world
through a natural fermentation process of molasses from sugar cane or sugar beets, as well as starch and corn sugar.
Flavor Enhancement Properties
When present in its "free" form-not "bound" together with other amino acids in protein-glutamate has a flavor enhancing effect in foods.
When MSG is added to foods, it provides a flavoring function similar to the naturally occurring free glutamate. MSG is used to enhance
the natural flavors of meats, poultry, seafood, snacks, soups and stews.
Multidimensional scaling experiments, which are used in sensory research, indicate that MSG falls outside the region occupied by the
four classic tastes of sweet, sour, salty and bitter. This distinctive taste is known as "umami," a word coined by the Japanese to
describe the taste imparted by glutamate.
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