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Monosodium glutamate is a flavor enhancer and an additive for foods. It used to be that monosodium glutamate ( msg) was used primarily in Asian foods but its use is now widespread. Msg looks like white crystals not unlike that of salt.
These crystals are the sodium salt of glutamic acid and contain L-glutamic and D-glutamic acid. It is made by a fermentation process using chemicals to free the glutamic acid from protein. Msg can be made from corn, starch, molasses or sugar.
Glutamic acid can also be found naturally in the foods that we eat and our bodies produce it to regulate our metabolism. But the difference between naturally occurring glutamic acid and those that are manufactured through protein hydrolysis is that the ones found in our body contain only L-glutamic acid, and the processed glutamate contains L-glutamic and D-glutamic acid.
United State’s Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rates synthetically produced msg as generally safe for use in foods. The FDA also recognizes that a minority if the population is sensitive to the food additive and therefor requires that all foods that contain msg must list it on the food labels. However there are ingredients that contain msg but may not be listed as containing msg. They are autolyzed yeast, monopotassium glutamate, hydrolyzed soy protein, and sodium caseinate.
Msg can be found not only in canned soups and flavored crackers and chips; it can also be found in frozen treats like ice cream and yoghurt, soda pop and just about anything else. So if you are sensitive or are allergic to msg, it is very important to read the food labels carefully. AxiGro is a growth enhancer that is sprayed on a variety of commercial crops. It contains glutamic acid as well, so again, if you suffer from a reaction from consuming msg, you need to thoroughly wash the produce you bring home from the supermarket. This includes organically grown vegetables.
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