Monosodium glutamate

Chinese food- you love it, I love it, everybody loves it. But what it is it about the food that makes you come back for more? Monosodium glutamate is a chemical compound that gives something an irresistible, savoury flavour called ‘umami’ and it’s commonly found in Chinese cuisine, Doritos, and other guilty pleasures that you can’t get enough of. But what is it exactly? Before we can understand that we have to learn a bit about glutamic acid.

Glutamic acid is one of twenty amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. In 1908, a man by the name of Kikunae Ikeda discovered that it was glutamic acid that gives off the umami taste and can be found in things like tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheeses1. So now to mass produce the amino acid we get a certain species of bacteria to break down some sugars and then we can collect the glutamic acid they produce2. Mix some sodium hydroxide with it then heat it up and now you’ve got yourself some nice MSG crystals just waiting to be shipped out all over the world2.

MSG can bring the taste of a dish to another level but the chemical does have some controversy behind it. Maybe you’ve eaten some Chinese food once and felt a little shaky afterwards, perhaps feeling a headache or even a burning sensation. Don’t worry, you’re not crazy. You’re experiencing what’s known as ‘Chinese restaurant syndrome’ (and yes, you read that right). Back in the 1960s, Robert Ho Man Kwok wrote a letter describing how he was feeling these same symptoms after eating Chinese food and then had the letter published by a medical journal3. Ever since, people have been talking about the dangers of eating MSG, with some scientists saying it can cause things like brain damage and other scary stuff3. What’s interesting is that MSG has never been proven to cause Chinese restaurant syndrome symptoms (say that 10 times fast). Big tests have been done that show that even in people who say eating MSG makes them sick, they don’t react to the chemical consistently1,2,3. And those studies that say MSG can harm you? A lot of them had some problems that don’t really make them reliable3.

So, is it safe to eat MSG? If you’re someone who does feel sick after eating food that has the chemical in it, it’s probably not a good idea to keep eating it. If you’re not someone who is sensitive to MSG then congratulations, eat the food at your own leisure. With or without MSG, Chinese food is still pretty darn good.

References

1. Baines, D., Seal, R. (2012). Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition: Natural Food Additives, Ingredients and Flavourings. Cambridge, GB: Woodhead Publishing. Retrieved from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2294
2. Newton, D. E., Weisblatt, J., Schlager, N. (2006). Chemical compounds. (7th ed.) Detroit: UXL. Retrieved from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2200/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=mtroyalc&v=2.1&it=aboutJournal&id=GALE|5KMY
3. Tu, C. (2014). Is MSG bad for your health? Retrieved October 23rd, 2016, from http://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/is-msg-bad-for-your-health/

Picture: http://heydrscott.com/all-about-msg-what-is-monosodium-glutamate/