In the Soup Again! The Never Ending Controversies of MSG

So what’s with the buzz about Maggi Noodles and MSG? Does your all-time favourite snack contain this harmful compound? While the controversies and claims go on a whirlpool of a ride, kick-started when a test sample of the noodles was found to contain excessive levels of MSG, we bring you all that you need to know about the notorious taste enhancer.

Read the original story and Nestle’s response to the controversy:
No MSG in Maggi Noodles, Says Nestle, as States Reportedly Ask for Tests

Like thousands of Indians, if someone were to ask me my favourite cuisine I would instantly say Chinese food. Of course it is another part of the story that when I say Chinese food, I am referring to the Indian Chinese which is a unique genre of food altogether with its own mix of spices and ingredients and does not, even in a slightest bit, represent either of the two greatest traditional cuisines. But there is something about that wok-tossed noodles or rice doused in soya sauce and replete with a mix of veggies and meat that it is hard to resist digging into a bowlful. Each bite ignites the taste buds as they go on a frenzy in the need for more. And surprisingly, when you try to recreate the same magic at home by attentively putting together the exact ingredients, it is never the same. No matter how much you try, it seems impossible to revive those flavours.

In my stubborn quest for perfecting the recipe, I eventually discovered the secret ingredient that makes all those dishes such a great hit. The suggestion came from my own mother after hearing sob stories of my several failed attempts as she said, “Just add Ajinomoto. Simple.” And yes, it was that simple. Adding just a few crystals of the transparent component did transform my noodles instantly into something extraordinary. I had finally mastered the art of cooking Indian Chinese noodles.

Though most of us know it as Ajinomoto, the secret ingredient is actually called as monosodium glutamate (MSG). The mistaken identity is the perfect case of the brand becoming bigger than the product as this Japanese company was the first to introduce the said compound. Ajinomoto meaning ‘essence of taste’ did actually create a product true to its name that caused a stir across the globe and still continues to keep the buzz alive but more in a negative aspect due to numerous controversies surrounding its negative effects on health.

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All From a Bowl of Soup

It is rightly said that a perfect dish is the coming together of all the ingredients in such a manner that each complements the other but doesn’t loses its own worth. Many years ago, a Japanese chemist called Kikunae Ikeda had discovered something unique while relishing his bowl of soup made by his wife who had used a type of seaweed called kelp to recreate the flavours of a popular Japanese stock called dashi. Kelp or kombu had a distinct flavour but he couldn’t categorise it under sweet, salty, sour or bitter. But such was its impact on him that it eventually led to two things – the evolution of the fifth flavour dimension of Japanese cuisine known as umami and the rise of monosodium glutamate.

Ikeda’s year-long research revealed that the chemical basis of umami flavour was a compound called sodium glutamate which was obtained from glutamic acid that is naturally found in many ingredients. When the protein containing glutamic acid is broken down – by cooking, fermentation or ripening – it becomes glutamate.

He then went on to mass produce the compound in his noble attempt to enable the common people to make their everyday ordinary dishes more enjoyable by adding this extraordinary seasoning. Thus came in Ajinomoto.

While traditional recipes called for using natural ingredients but spending considerable amount of time extracting the umami flavour, the industrially purified glutamate salt was quick, easy, convenient and an instant flavour booster.

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The Insight on Glutamate Salts

Glutamic acid is a common amino acid present in our body and many food products. Its sodium component is what is popularly known as monosodium glutamate, which naturally occurs in tomatoes, cheeses, soybeans, yeast extracts, dried mushrooms, wheat etc. and people have been eating glutamate-rich food throughout history. It comprises just water, sodium and glutamate.

In the early 1900s, MSG was being extracted from natural protein-rich foods such as seaweed. Not delving deep into the chemical intricacies, many popular ramen shops across Japan were developing the umami flavour by boiling dried kombu seaweed or kelp and using the content to make their flavourful stocks. Some would also make it from dried shrimp, bonito flakes or fermented soy. But with Ikeda revolutionising the concept of monosodium glutamate, it soon became easily available in the markets, was cheap and therefore was commonly adopted by all. MSG was stabilised with ordinary salt and packaged in a tin.

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However, in the current scenario, instead of extracting and crystallizing MSG from seaweed broth, it is largely produced by the fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses. This fermentation process is similar to that used to make yogurt, vinegar and wine, says a report on FDA (US Food and Drug Administration).

MSG, the Taste Enhancer

So how does MSG make food taste so good? The natural flavour enhancing abilities of glutamate in food varies greatly, but is high in ingredients such as tomatoes and cheese. That is why these two are most commonly used across various cuisines as the bases for soups, curries, sauces, etc.

What MSG does is that it interacts with the other flavours (mainly salty and sour) and enhances the taste by triggering the umami receptors of your taste buds. Try adding some dried mushrooms to your bowl of salad, a drizzle of soy sauce in your noodles or a sprinkling of parmesan on your pasta, you have your umami experience right there. MSG works extremely well with meat-based dishes, soups, stews and also stir-fried vegetables, rice or noodles.

However, when it comes to dealing with the remaining two flavours, it loses its power. Seldom will you find it being used in cakes, pastries or candies. Just like other seasonings, it makes good food taste better but it can do nothing to enhance a poorly cooked dish.

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The Not So Good Side of MSG

Though a Japanese concept, MSG popularly came to be known worldwide as the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS). Post the discovery of MSG, news of it spread across the globe and as people tasted it, they just couldn’t have enough of it. It was suddenly everywhere – processed meats, tinned food products like tuna and soups, salad dressings, snacks, ice cream, chewing gum, ready-to-eat products, frozen products, baby food and soft drinks, you name it!

While it made everything taste good, it also had adverse effect on many people. An article in The Guardian had stated, “But MSG’s conquest of the planet hit a major bump in April 1968, when, in the New England Journal of Medicine, a Dr Ho Man Kwok wrote a chatty article, not specifically about MSG, whose knock-on effects were to panic the food industry. ‘I have experienced a strange syndrome whenever I have eaten out in a Chinese restaurant, especially one that served northern Chinese food. The syndrome, which usually begins 15 to 20 minutes after I have eaten the first dish, lasts for about two hours, without hangover effect. The most prominent symptoms are numbness at the back of the neck, gradually radiating to both arms and the back, general weakness and palpitations…’”

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With more and more people experiencing similar symptoms post the consumption of MSG and the medico-academic industry publishing numerous reports of its ill effects, it took a major downfall. Some of the primary complaints were headache, flushing, sweating, facial pressure, numbness, chest pain, nausea and weakness. Some studies even found that it caused brain damage in children and impacted eyesight. These reasons eventually led to the banning of many MSG-containing foods worldwide and controversies still continue though it is said that no proper scientific data has been found to support the various allegations.

MSG still continues to be an ingredient which is consciously skipped by consumers throughout the world though not by all restaurants or eateries no matter how much they insist that their food is devoid of it, and certainly not Japan and they are known to have the longest lifespan. Go figure!