MSG

Nong Shim's Onion Flavored Rings have always been an enjoyable snack, and with only 130 calories per serving (50 calories from fat) and 3 servings per package, they're a lesser evil in the chips and snacks universe.

http://www.amazon.com/Nong-Shim-Onion-3-17-Ounce-Package/dp/B0024L3FDW

Yet, one look at the nutrition facts gives the consumer reason to stop gorging on them. That's right. One of the handful on ingredients that go into the Onion Rings is monosodium glutamate, better known as MSG.

MSG has a bad rap today, but that wasn't always the case. MSG has been associated with dozens of different food evils. Some say it's a preservative; others claim it's only a taste enhancer. It has been labeled as a carcinogen and blamed for causing "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome."

Here in the U.S., the MSG industry has suffered from a windfall of bad press; however, until recently, MSG was still being used in copious amounts in Asia. With the Asian consumer becoming increasingly concerned about the effects of MSG, food manufacturers have been reducing, eliminating, and masking the use of it.

It had been several months since I picked up a bag of Onion Rings, and they tasted the same as they always had. But something was distinctively different about the ingredients list; replacing MSG was a different ingredient going by the name of hydrolysed soy protein. The MSG enemy claims that hydrolyzed protein is simply another name for monosodium glutamate. So the questions are:

"What exactly am I eating?"
and
"Exactly how bad is it for me?"

Monosodium glutamate is a sodium salt of glutamic acid, also called glutamate. Glutamic acid is an amino acid naturally occuring in certain foods and is present in protein in its bound form. In its pure form it is a white crystalline powder looking and behaving similar to salt in food. The first and largest producer of MSG is Ajinomoto. Japanese researcher, Dr. Ikeda first isolated glutamate and identified it as being responsible for a fifth taste, which he labeled 'umami.' 'Umami' can be roughly translated to 'Yumminess' and is more commonly referred to as 'Savoury' in English. There is some disagreement as to whether umami really exists as a fifth taste, or glutamate simply enhances some of the other tastes like saltiness. It's identified as a brothy perhaps meaty flavor identified best in foods like cheese, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

Nobody really denies the fact that MSG makes things taste good, but the majority of consumers believe that there are enough negative side effects for one to avoid it at all costs. There is a lot of conflicting opinions out there, but the consensus is that MSG can be responsible for an allergy like syndrome. A 1995 independent study identified MSG as being responsible for 'MSG Symptom Complex' in an unknown percentage of individuals. The trigger amount was a dosage between 0.5g and 2.5g.

As for other effects of MSG, the research out there is very conflicting. A lot of pro-MSG finds have been funded by the glutamate industry, and a lot of anti-MSG finds have utilized questionable research methods. A 2002 study attempted to link MSG with retinal thinning in rats. It turns out they were putting in 20g of MSG for every 100g of rat food. A 1970 study by Dr. Olney found that MSG consumption of 1g/kg body weight was enough to produce brain lesions in baby monkeys. This study effectively eliminated MSG from baby food at the time. Glutamates are back in baby food today, but considering that human milk has ten times the glutamic acid as cow milk, baby food MSG quantities are relatively small. MSG critics today claim that the food industry has shut down funding for MSG research. Author of Excitotoxins, Dr. Blaylock stands out as an authority who seems to blame MSG for everything. Realistically, others believe that the scientific community has become bored with the subject.

MSG has not been effectively linked to cancer and is not a preservative. One source states that the production of hydrolyzed protein can introduce carginogenic propanols in unknown quantities, but nobody seems to claim that there is enough of a carcinogenic effect in whatever glutamate product to be concerned. Glutamic acid has been linked to overeating by way of hypoglycemia. Glutamic acid receptors in the pancreas instruct it to release insulin causing blood sugar levels to drop and in turn causing the person to become hungry. The levels to which this is true has not yet been quantified.

The one side effect of MSG that government and health organizations warn against is the 'MSG Symptom Complex.' So how prevalent is it? The enemies of MSG claim that as much as 25-30% of the population suffers from it. A 1970 independent study fed 11 humans 147 grams of it every day for 6 weeks and found no negative side effects.

It's easy enough to simply say that if you think you suffer from eating MSG, then just avoid it. In that case, you would have to avoid KFC, Burger King, Doritos and millions of other food that contain some amount of it. Most of the time you won't even realize you're eating it because if goes by a different name.

Remember my Onion Rings? The hydrolyzed soy protein is basically in there to replace MSG. Hydrolyzation of protein occurs when isolated protein is broken down into its free amino acids by boiling it in hydrochloric acid. Some claim that hydrolyzed protein is just another name for MSG, but in reality you have all those other amino acids as well, and MSG only accounts for 10-20% of the composition of hydrolyzed proteins. The FDA doesn't require manufacturers to label hydrolyzed protein as MSG because "the chemical breakdown of proteins may result in the formation of free glutamate that joins with free sodium to form MSG. " But when you take your highly acidic hydrolyzed solution and neutralize it with sodium hydroxide, those free sodium atoms happen to be there for the free glutamate to join with.

How many are willing to give up their favorite foods in an attempt to eliminate glutamates from their diet? They won't be very successful. Some people differentiate between free glutamates and bound glutamates, amino acids connected to each other in the form of protein, but much of the protein you eat is broken down into free glutamates via cooking or digestion. The International Food Information Council estimates that the average daily consumsuption of glutamate at 11g in the form of protein and less than 1g from MSG. Another source estimates MSG consumption at 4g per week.

The days of Chinese restaurants using packets of MSG are gone, and although you may eat a lot of it every once in a while, on a day to day basis there isn't much need for worry. It's hardly convincing that the relatively small amounts of MSG can cause people to overeat to the point of obesity. Even the critics have difficulty differentiating between manufactured glutamates and natural glutamates. And considering that 1.5 oz of Parmesan cheese is the equivalent of 1g of glutamate, you will be eating a decent amount of it regardless.

The Japanese in particular embrace cooking with umami, and there are enough natural sources of free glutamic acid to make it a tasty part of your diet. My take on MSG in general? Don't worry about it too much. I don't think my Onion Rings are going to trigger the negative side effects of MSG. If you're eating enough of the fast food and snack items that frequently contain more MSG, 'MSG Symptom Complex' and insulin production should be the least of your worries. You might need to be more concerned about things like heart failure. On the other hand, natural foods contain free glutamates in just enough quantities to make your food delicious. Now you know why your pizza tastes so good.



Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamic_acid_(flavor)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami

MSG Critics:
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/index.html
http://www.healthdangers.com/drugs/MSG/msg-research.htm
http://westonaprice.org/msg/index.html
http://www.msgtruth.org/

Organizations:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Help/FAQs_Flavorings/index.asp
http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/2003/103_msg.html
http://www.ific.org/publications/brochures/msgbroch.cfm

Fairly Objective:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2005/jul/10/foodanddrink.features3
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/healthconcerns/p/MSG.htm

Ajinomoto:
http://www.msginfo.com/msg_faq_saf.asp?bhcd2=1240282756

Cooking with Umami:
http://www.justhungry.com/dashi-stock-granules-ajinomoto-msg-and-health-considerations
http://ilhamilyas.blogspot.com/2008/09/delicious-miso-soup.html
http://digitaltelevision.wetpaint.com/page/UMAMI+AND+GLUTAMATE+SPICES?t=anon