Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavour or improve its taste and

appearance. Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food
by pickling (with vinegar), salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur
dioxide as in some wines. With the advent of processed foods in the second half of the
20th century, many more additives have been introduced, of both natural and artificial
origin.

Monosodium glutamate
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This article is about the chemical compound. For its use in food flavouring and health
concerns, see glutamic acid (flavor). For glutamic acid in general, see glutamic acid.
Monosodium glutamate

IUPAC name
[show]

Identifiers

CAS number [142-47-2]

PubChem 85314

SMILES [show]

ChemSpider ID 76943

Properties

Molecular
C5H8NNaO4
formula

Molar mass 169.111 g/mol

Appearance white crystalline

 powder

Melting point 225 °C, 498 K,

437 °F

Solubility in
very soluble in water
water
Except where noted otherwise, data are given
for
materials in their standard state
(at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Crystalline monosodium glutamate

Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate and MSG, is a sodium salt
of the non-essential amino glutamic acid. It is used as a food additive and is commonly
marketed as a flavour enhancer. It has the HS code 29224220 and the E number E621.
Trade names of monosodium glutamate include Ajinomoto, Vetsin, and Accent. It used to
be predominantly made from wheat gluten, but is now mostly made from bacterial
fermentation; it is acceptable for celiacs following a gluten-free diet.[1][2][3][4]

Although traditional Asian cuisine had often used seaweed extract, which contains high
concentrations of glutamic acid, MSG was not isolated until 1907. MSG was
subsequently patented by Ajinomoto Corporation of Japan in 1909. In its pure form, it
appears as a white crystalline powder; when immersed in water or saliva, it rapidly
dissociates into sodium cations and glutamate anions (glutamate is the anionic form of
glutamic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid).

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Production and chemical properties

 • 2 Commercialization
• 3 Health concerns
o 3.1 United States
o 3.2 Asia
o 3.3 Australia and New Zealand
• 4 See also
• 5 References

• 6 External links

[edit] Production and chemical properties

MSG is normally obtained by the fermentation of carbohydrates, using bacterial or yeast
species from genera such as Brevibacterium, Arthrobacter, Microbacterium, and
Corynebacterium. Yields of 100 g/litre[citation needed] can be prepared in this way. From 1909
to the mid 1960s, MSG was prepared by the hydrolysis of wheat gluten, which is roughly
25% glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is one of the least soluble amino acids, which
facilitates its purification.[5]

Like the sodium salts of other amino acids, MSG is a stable colourless solid that is
degraded by strong oxidizing agents. It exists as a pair of mirror image stereoisomers
(enantiomers), but only the naturally occurring L-glutamate form is used as a flavour
enhancer.

[edit] Commercialization
The Ajinomoto company was formed to manufacture and market MSG in Japan; the
name 'Ajinomoto' means "essence of taste". It was introduced to the United States in
1947 as Ac'cent flavor enhancer.[6]

Modern commercial MSG is produced by fermentation[7] of starch, sugar beets, sugar

cane, or molasses. About 1.5 million tonnes were sold in 2001, with 4% annual growth
expected.[8] MSG is used commercially as a flavour enhancer. Although once associated
with foods in Chinese restaurants, MSG is now used by most fast food chains and in
many foodstuffs, particularly processed foods.[9][not in citation given]

Examples include:

• Pre-prepared stocks often known as stock cubes or bouillon cubes.

• Condiments such as barbecue sauce and salad dressing.
• Canned, frozen, or dried prepared food
• Common snack foods such as flavoured potato chips and flavoured tortilla chips.
• Seasoning mixtures
Only the L-glutamate enantiomer has flavour-enhancing properties.[10] Manufactured
MSG contains over 99.6% of the naturally predominant L-glutamate form, which is a
higher proportion of L-glutamate than found in the free glutamate ions of naturally
occurring foods. Fermented products such as soy sauce, steak sauce, and Worcestershire
sauce have levels of glutamate similar to foods with added MSG. However, glutamate in
these brewed products may have 5% or more of the D-enantiomer.[10]

[edit] Health concerns

Main article: Glutamic acid (flavor)#Research into health effects

MSG as a food ingredient has been the subject of health studies. A report from the
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) compiled in 1995
on behalf of the FDA concluded that MSG was safe for most people when "eaten at
customary levels." However, it also said that, based on anecdotal reports, some people
may have an MSG intolerance which causes "MSG symptom complex"—commonly
referred to as Chinese restaurant syndrome—and/or a worsening of asthmatic
symptoms.[11] Subsequent research found that while large doses of MSG given without
food may elicit more symptoms than a placebo in individuals who believe that they react
adversely to MSG, the frequency of the responses was low and the responses reported
were inconsistent, not reproducible, and were not observed when MSG was given with
food.[12] While many people believe that MSG is the cause of these symptoms, a statistical
association has not been demonstrated under controlled conditions, even in studies with
people who were convinced that they were sensitive to it.[12][13][14][15] Adequately
controlling for experimental bias includes a placebo-controlled double-blinded
experimental design and the application in capsules because of the strong and unique
after-taste of glutamates.[13]

[edit] United States

Monosodium glutamate is one of several forms of glutamic acid found in foods, in large
part because glutamic acid is pervasive in nature, being an amino acid. Glutamic acid and
its salts can also be present in a wide variety of other additives, including hydrolyzed
vegetable proteins, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and
protein isolate, any one of which may appear as "spices" or "natural flavorings." The food
additives disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate are usually used along with
monosodium glutamate-containing ingredients, and provide a likely indicator of the
presence of monosodium glutamate in a product. For this reason, the FDA considers
labels such as "No MSG" or "No Added MSG" to be misleading if the food contains
ingredients that are sources of free glutamate, such as hydrolyzed protein.[16]

In 1993, the FDA proposed adding the phrase "(contains glutamate)" to the common or
usual names of certain protein hydrolysates that contain substantial amounts of
glutamate.[16]
In the 2004 version of his book, On Food and Cooking, food scientist Harold McGee
states that "[after many studies], toxicologists have concluded that MSG is a harmless
ingredient for most people, even in large amounts."

[edit] Asia

The INTERMAP Cooperative Research Group conducted a study of 752 healthy Chinese
(48.7% women), aged 40–59 years, randomly sampled from three rural villages in north
and south China and determined that MSG intake may be positively correlated to BMI
(Body Mass Index).[17]

[edit] Australia and New Zealand

Standard 1.2.4 of the Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code requires the
presence of MSG as a food additive to be labeled. The label must bear the food additive
class name (e.g. flavour enhancer), followed by either the name of the food additive,
MSG, or its International Numbering System (INS) number, 621.