MSG - Good or Bad?

MSG – monosodium L-glutamate. One of the most commonly despised ingredients in the US. What is so horrible about this ingredient that hundreds of pages of the Internet are spent on its bashing? I’m not sure why it is so vilified, but I do know quite a bit about the ingredient.

MSG is the sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid. It is produced by fermentation of glucose (usually from molasses) to glutamic acid which is then neutralized with sodium hydroxide to produce sodium L-glutamate. In 1908 a Japanese scientist was researching the flavor enhancing properties of a seaweed used in cooking (Laminaria japonica). But MSG does more than “enhance” flavor; in fact, I don’t like that particular description. MSG is more of a potentiator than an enhancer. It attaches to receptors on your taste buds so that you taste things more intensely. It also affects your perception of mouthfeel, complexity and roundness/harmony of flavors. We call this sensation Umami – the fifth flavor (the other four are: sour, sweet, bitter, salty).

Glutamates (there are other salt versions besides sodium) occur naturally in vegetables, meats (beef, poultry, pork, fish), and milk (including human breast milk). Some foods with the highest levels of glutamates include mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, chicken, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

Glutamates are often misrepresented as MSG. Many of the websites demonizing this material infer that those of us in the food industry are purposely misleading consumers by hiding MSG in other ingredients such as caseinate, whey protein, yeast extract, gelatin, etc. when in reality these are naturally occurring sources of gluamates and not “hidden” MSG. That is not to say we don’t add MSG to foods, we do, but it is labeled.

If you firmly believe that you react to MSG, then nothing I’m saying is going to change your opinion, and that is fine. (Personally, I have a jar of MSG in my spice rack; I love adding it to soups and gravies.) Avoiding MSG should prove rather easy, glutamates less so, and glutamic acid nearly impossible. (I just have to say, I’ve never heard someone who just ate a big piece of chicken cooked with mushrooms and tomatoes ever complain about symptoms).

There has been and continues to be ongoing research into the effects of MSG consumption. Although to date, nothing conclusive has been produced (and reproduced) to show any negative effect of consumption, if you are at all concerned, make sure you eat other foods along with your MSG. The dilution effect should be enough to ward off any potential side effects. And of course if you are watching your sodium intake, you should be aware of the high sodium content of MSG containing foods.

I hope that this was informative (and no, I do not work for or with any MSG companies – I’m not working any angles here). Please let me know what other questions you have about the foods you eat - I'm here to help!

Defining Natural - Part II

Last week, I told you about the FDA definition of "natural", their lack of one, and told you that they may start by looking at the USDA's. The branch of the USDA that is involved in allowing a natural claim is the FSIS - Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The FSIS first issued its guidance on November 22, 1982 in a Standards and Labeling Policy Memo (#055) stating that the term "natural" could be used in the labeling of meat & poultry when:

• The product does not contain any artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring, ingredient, or chemical preservative (as defined in 21 CFR 101.22), or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient; and
• The product and its ingredients are not more than minimally processed, which may include (a) those traditional processes used to make food edible, to preserve it, or to make it safe for human consumption, e.g. smoking, roasting, freezing, drying, and fermenting, or (b) those physical processes that do not fundamentally alter the raw product or that only separate a whole, intact food into component parts, e.g. grinding meat, separating eggs, pressing fruit.
• Relatively severe processes, e.g. solvent extraction, acid hydrolysis and chemical bleaching would clearly constitute more than minimal processing.

This sounds good - right? It is much more precise than the FDA definition, and the FSIS, like the FDA, reviews label submissions on a case-by-case basis for clarification. So why is it that even this definition is under review?

While I can't speak for the USDS/FSIS, it is probably because this still has a lot of grey areas. For instance, sodium, calcium, and potassium lactate (from corn sources) were allowed at levels up to 2% as flavoring. That is until the FSIS discovered that at that level, those products had an antimicrobial effect and they decided to re-evaluate those labeling claims individually for technical function and intended use. There are other ingredients that have similar stories. So in 2006 the FSIS took comments from the public and industry to try to clarify the term "natural" - they received over 12,000 comments that contained wildly divergent views on the topic.

So this year they decided to try again; they are soliciting comments until November 13, 2009 (if anyone wants to know how to submit their own comments send me an email & I'll send you the information). Some people want a very rigid definition, but that is difficult because it means the FSIS must think of almost every circumstance to close any potential loopholes; while others want flexibility so that the context can be considered (whether an ingredient is used as an antioxidant or as a flavor - like rosemary extract). And this is a complex issue; for instance, vinegar is a natural product, as is sea salt, but depending on their usage, it could mean a product cannot be legally labeled as natural.

So, what is the likely outcome for both the USDA/FSIS and the FDA? Well, with lawsuits and public comments pending, some changes will likely be forthcoming. We may very well end up with a system similar to that for organic products - kind of a tiered labeling system: 100% Natural, Natural, Made with all Natural Ingredients, Naturally Raised, etc.

I for one, am interested both as a consumer and as a food technologist, to see how these governmental agencies resolve this issue. And I hope you have gained a better understanding of the issues that impact the foods you consume and the regulations that govern their manufacture.