Chemical compound- Monosodium Glutamate
Introduction
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is the salt of an amino acid-Glutamic Acid or glutamate. It is commonly used as a flavor enhancing food additive. MSG is a very important ingredient in the cuisines of China and Japan. Glutamates are found naturally in tomatoes, cheese and mushrooms. It is also used in soups, sauces and frozen vegetables. MSG has a unique taste, known as umami (meaning “savory deliciousness”) which is considered distinct from the four basic tastes sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
History
MSG was first recognized by Kikunae Ikeda at the Tokyo Imperial University, Japan in 1908. He took the seaweed called Laminaria japonica and ran it through a series of chemical experiments for a few days and noticed a crystalline form developing. Then, the Ajinomoto ("essence of taste") company was formed to manufacture and market MSG in Japan. It was also introduced to the United States in 1947 as Ac'cent flavour enhancer.
Structure and Nature
The molecular formula of MSG is C5H8NO4Na and molecular mass is 169.111099g/mol. It is a white powder with a melting temperature of 225°C and is soluble in water. MSG is quite stable as it does not change in appearance or quality at room temperature. In acidic conditions (pH 2.2-2.4) and at high temperatures MSG is dehydrated and converted into 5-pyrrolidone-2-carboxylic acid.
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Method of manufacture
Monosodium glutamate can be produced by three common methods which are hydrolysis of proteins, synthesis, and microbial fermentation. In the hydrolysis method, the protein is hydrolyzed with a strong mineral acid to free amino acids, and the glutamic acid is then separated from the mixture, purified, and converted to monosodium glutamat...
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...used by MSG are called the Chinese restaurant syndrome due to the fact that it is used in large amounts in Chinese food and restaurants. As mentioned earlier, MSG causes us to crave the foods processed with MSG-and a majority of processed and packaged foods now contain monosodium glutamate. This is one of the main reasons people in America are becoming obese. It has been reported that the average person eats much more glutamate than what is considered to be a safe and normal amount in the typical American diet.
Conclusion
Small amounts of MSG are not a problem, but if small amounts of MSG are in several common foods that are consumed every day, the problem becomes much more serious. The only way to ensure limited consumption of monosodium glutamate is to eat natural fruits and vegetables and limited quantity of processed and packaged foods from the supermarket.
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