MSG - A good thing or not?

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a flavour enhancer that is added to food to bring out the savoury taste. Most people say its safe, but there have been some studies showing otherwise. Keep reading to find out more.

What is MSG? MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid (or glutamate) which is a non-essential amino acid. Glutamate helps the body make other amino acids and is also a neurotransmitter in the nervous system. Glutamate is found in a wide variety of foods. It can be found in either a free form (on its own) or bound to other amino acids in the form of protein. It is the free glutamate that is associated with flavour enhancing properties. Glutamate is found naturally in some protein-containing foods like meat, peas, yeast extracts, soy sauce, mushrooms and cheese.

Which foods contain the added MSG? Glutamates occur naturally in protein foods such as meat, fish, poultry and vegetables. Free glutamates are found in foods like tomatoes, tomato paste, cheese and mushrooms. Many natural foods that we add to dishes to make them taste better are high in free glutamate. Glutamates are added to food to enhance its flavour. They are added in the form of MSG in hydrolysed vegetable protein, yeast extracts, flavours and fermented soy products such as soy sauce. Common foods that can contain added MSG include savoury foods such as stocks, seasonings, soup, sauces and savoury snacks/meals.

MSG is classified by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) as a ‘flavour enhancer’ and has the additive number 621. This number is listed in the ingredient list of foods that have added MSG. There are other glutamates added to foods with numbers such as Monopotassium L-glutamate (622), Calcium glutamate (623), Monoammonium L-glutamate (624) and Magnesium glutamate (625).

Why is MSG added to other foods? MSG does not have a distinct flavour on its own, but it helps to intensify the natural savoury flavour of foods. Some restaurants and manufacturers therefore add MSG to help enhance the flavour of food. The taste gained from naturally occurring or added MSG in foods is described as Umami’ – the sixth basic taste after sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and salty. Umami is the savoury taste that people enjoy in foods and that makes them go back for more.

One of the other reasons that MSG is added to food is to help reduce the sodium content. MSG is lower in sodium than table salt. Therefore the sodium content of processed foods can be lowered by using MSG to replace some of the salt.

Is MSG safe? Yes. MSG has been extensively studied over the past 30 years to investigate its effects on the body. MSG is permitted for use in Australian foods as FSANZ research shows that it is safe for general consumption at the current levels. Other international agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organisation have also verified the safety of MSG.

But MSG has also been identified as the cause or trigger of many severe reactions in the body from migraines to seizures to auto-immune diseases. In 1968 Dr. John Olney started conducting experiments on mice using MSG. (Mice are frequently used as test animals because they react most like humans to MSG.) Obsessed with the microscopic changes in the brains of the mice he overlooked something quite dramatic first noticed by his assistant. She pointed out to him that all of the mice were obese. At first he thought it was just a fluke, but as the experiment progressed he noticed that indeed all the mice fed MSG became grossly obese. Since his early observation, other studies have confirmed that MSG causes obesity in animals.”

So is MSG good or bad? The research that has been shown clearly proves that MSG is safe but with the experiments done on the mice by Dr. John Olney, what do we believe? Personally, I would stay away from MSG only because it is artificial and it makes mice fat.

Next week I'll be writing about super foods. Stay tuned :)