he controversy over Maggi triggered a lot of debate for and against the commonly used food additive Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) or as it is called by its trade name ajinomoto. The fact, however, remains that glutamic acid is naturally present in our bodies. The US FDA considers the addition of MSG to foods to be ‘Generally Recognised As Safe (GRAS). And, believe it or not, mother’s milk contains more glutamate than cow’s milk! While many people maintain that they are sensitive to MSG, there have been no known or scientifically proven studies that link adverse reaction among human beings to MSG. These facts on the food additive were shared by Professor Jamuna Prakash from University of Mysore, who presented a paper on the additive’s natural ability to improve taste of Indian dishes at the Food Data Conference held at National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) here in Hyderabad. “MSG is a salt of glutamic acid and so far there has been no study that has shown any toxic effect of MSG on humans. Glutamic acid is an amino acid that can be easily metabolised by the human body,” she says. The senior research fellow from the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore told The Hindu that human body can handle MSG easily. “MSG has flavour potentiating characters. You add it anywhere or in any kind of food and it will enhance its taste. One must also learn a lot from our nature. Infants like breast milk because the taste is enhanced by MSG,” said Dr. Jamuna.
By itself, MSG is tasteless or has a hint of salt in it. The food scientist felt that there is low level of awareness on MSG among public. “The use of MSG in countries like Japan and China as an additive dates back to 1,000 years. Before MSG started to get manufactured in bulk, Oriental countries used sea weed, a rich source of MSG, to enhance the taste of food,” she said. The researcher said that one can almost decrease the use of salt by using MSG. “You can almost decrease 20 to 30 per cent of salt usage in a dish without affecting the flavour. However, one must also agree that there could be sensitive individuals for whom MSG will not be palatable,” says Dr. Jamuna.
Glutamic acid is an amino acid that can be easily metabolised by the
human body
Jamuna Prakash
Professor, University of Mysore
