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Monosodium glutamate, known as MSG, is the sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid present in all protein.
Monosodium glutamate is marketed as a white crystalline salt used to enhance fl avor as the monohydrate, C5H8NNaO4 H2O.
There are two forms of glutamic acid: L-glutamic acid and D-glutamic acid.
CAS: 32221-81-1
MF: C5H8NNaO4
MW: 169.11109
EINECS: 200-533-0
Synonyms
DL-monosodium glutamate;sodium glutamate(1-);sodium acid l-glutamate;Monosodium glutamate;Sodium 5-oxido-5-oxonorvaline;Monosodium glutamate with other flavour-enhancers;α-Amiopetandioic acid monosodium salt;Glutamic acid, monosodium salt, DL-
The natural glutamic acid found in humans and other higher organism is L-glutamic acid only, whereas processed monosodium glutamate contains both L-glutamic acid and D-glutamic acid along with pyroglutamic acid (C5H7NO3) and other contaminants.
Monosodium glutamate is odorless and has little flavor.
Monosodium glutamate works synergistically with other substances found in food proteins such as the nucleotides disodium 5'-inosine monophosphate (IMP) and disodium 5'-guanosine monophosphate (GMP), to produce a pleasing savory taste.
A white crystalline solid compound, made from soya-bean protein.
Monosodium glutamate is a sodium salt of glutamic acid used as a flavor enhancer, particularly in Chinese cuisine.
Monosodium glutamate can cause an allergic reaction in people who are ultrasensitive to it.
Popular as a seasoning and flavor enhancer, MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is the purest form of umami, the fifth taste.
MSG (monosodium glutamate) is widely used to intensify and enhance taste and flavors in sauces, broths, soups and many more foods.
Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate, is a sodium salt of glutamic acid. MSG is found naturally in some foods including tomatoes and cheese in this glutamic acid form.
Monosodium glutamate is used in cooking as a flavor enhancer with a savory taste that intensifies the umami flavor of food, as naturally occurring glutamate does in foods such as stews and meat soups.
Monosodium glutamate was first prepared in 1908 by Japanese biochemist Kikunae Ikeda, who tried to isolate and duplicate the savory taste of kombu, an edible seaweed used as a broth (dashi) ingredient in Japanese cuisine.
Monosodium glutamate balances, blends, and rounds the perception of other tastes.
Monosodium glutamate, along with disodium ribonucleotides, is commonly used and found in stock (bouillon) cubes, soups, ramen, gravy, stews, condiments, savory snacks, etc.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given Monosodium glutamate its generally recognized as safe (GRAS) designation.
Monosodium glutamate is a popular misconception that Monosodium glutamate can cause headaches and other feelings of discomfort, known as "Chinese restaurant syndrome".
Several blinded studies show no such effects when Monosodium glutamate is combined with food in normal concentrations, and are inconclusive when Monosodium glutamate is added to broth in large concentrations.
The European Union classifies Monosodium glutamate as a food additive permitted in certain foods and subject to quantitative limits.
Monosodium glutamate has the HS code 2922.42 and the E number E621.
Monosodium glutamate Chemical Properties
Storage temp.: 2-8°C, sealed storage, away from moisture and light
Solubility: Soluble in water and alcohol, not in oils
Form: crystallinepowder or small needles
Color: White
Odor: faint, peptone-like odor
Optical Rotation: 22.43°(C=0.01g/ml 1N HCL)
Stability: Stable. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents
Major Application: pharmaceutical small molecule
Cosmetics Ingredients Functions SKIN CONDITIONING
FRAGRANCE
HAIR CONDITIONING
CAS DataBase Reference: 32221-81-1(CAS DataBase Reference)
Monosodium glutamate is white prismatic crystal or crystalline powder, odorless, with special meat flavor.
The relative density is 1.635, the melting point is 195 ℃, and the filling specific volume is 1.20.
Monosodium glutamate is easily soluble in water, and the pH of 5% aqueous solution is 6.7-7.2.
Monosodium glutamate is difficult to dissolve in ethanol and ether.
Without moisture absorption, the crystal water starts to be lost at 120 ℃, and the intramolecular dehydration starts at 150-160 ℃ to form sodium pyroglutamine, which loses its fresh taste.
Monosodium glutamate begins to decompose into pyrrole at about 270 ℃.
Chemical properties
Monosodium glutamate is usually available as the monohydrate, a white, odorless, crystalline powder.
The solid contains separate sodium cations Na+ and glutamate anions in zwitterionic form, −OOC-CH(NH+3)-(CH2)2-COO−.
In solution, it dissociates into glutamate and sodium ions.
Monosodium glutamate is freely soluble in water, but it is not hygroscopic and is insoluble in common organic solvents (such as ether).
Monosodium glutamate is generally stable under food-processing conditions.
Monosodium glutamate does not break down during cooking and, like other amino acids, will exhibit a Maillard reaction (browning) in the presence of sugars at very high temperatures.
History
The use of Monosodium glutamate as a flavor enhancer is attributed to Kikunae Ikeda (1864 1936), a chemistry professor from Tokyo Imperial University.
Ikeda patented Monosodium glutamate as a flavor enhancer along with processes used to produce it.
The isolated glutamic acid was then purified and converted to Monosodium glutamate.
The use of Monosodium glutamate as a flavor enhancer began in Japan and Asia, but widespread use of the compound in the United States did not occur until after World War II.
Ajinomoto started manufacturing Monosodium glutamate in the United States in 1956 (Ajinomoto became affiliated with Kraft General Foods in 1973).
Uses
The safety of manufactured Monosodium glutamate has been questioned for the last several decades.
Conditions associated with Monosodium glutamate(MSG) symptom complex included numbness in the back of the neck, radiating to the arms; warmth and fatigue in the head, upper back, neck, and arms; facial pressure or tightness; chest pain; headache; nausea; and heart palpitations.
There does not seem to be an absolute consensus on the safety of MSG, but for the most part Monosodium glutamate is considered safe if consumed in normal quantities.
An acceptable daily intake level is not cited by government regulators, but the average person consumes between 0.3 and 1.0 gram of Monosodium glutamate daily.
Estimates of annual global production of Monosodium glutamate range between several hundred thousand tons to as high as 1 million tons.
Although practically all Monosodium glutamate(MSG) produced is used in the food industry, a small portion is used for agricultural feed supplements (for swine), pesticides, and pharmaceuticals.
Monosodium glutamate is a flavor enhancer that is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid.
Monosodium glutamate is a white crystal that is readily soluble in water.
Monosodium glutamate intensifies and enhances flavor but does not contribute a flavor of its own.
Monosodium glutamate may be present as one of the amino acids or in a free form, which is how it effectively enhances the flavor of foods.
Monosodium glutamate is produced through a fermentation process of molasses.
Monosodium glutamate is used at 0.1–1.0% in meats, soups, and sauces.
Pure Monosodium glutamate is reported to have a highly unpleasant taste until it is combined with a savory aroma.
The basic sensory function of Monosodium glutamate is attributed to its ability to enhance savory taste-active compounds when added in the proper concentration.
The optimal concentration varies by food; in clear soup, the "pleasure score" rapidly falls with the addition of more than one gram of MSG per 100 mL.
The sodium content (in mass percent) of MSG, 12.28%, is about one-third of that in sodium chloride (39.34%), due to the greater mass of the glutamate counterion, and the remainder, 87.72%, is glutamic acid.
Although other salts of glutamate have been used in low-salt soups, they are less palatable than Monosodium glutamate.
The ribonucleotide food additives disodium inosinate (E631) and disodium guanylate (E627), as well as conventional salt, are usually used with monosodium glutamate-containing ingredients as they seem to have a synergistic effect.
"Super salt" is a mixture of 9 parts salt, to one part Monosodium glutamate and 0.1 parts disodium ribonucleotides (a mixture of disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate).
Production
Monosodium glutamate has been produced by three methods: hydrolysis of vegetable proteins with hydrochloric acid to disrupt peptide bonds (1909–1962); direct chemical synthesis with acrylonitrile (1962–1973), and bacterial fermentation (the current method).
Wheat gluten was originally used for hydrolysis because Monosodium glutamate contains more than 30 g of glutamate and glutamine per 100 g of protein.
As demand for Monosodium glutamate increased, chemical synthesis and fermentation were studied.
The polyacrylic fiber industry began in Japan during the mid-1950s, and acrylonitrile was adopted as a base material to synthesize Monosodium glutamate.
As of 2016, most Monosodium glutamate worldwide is produced by bacterial fermentation in a process similar to making vinegar or yogurt.
Sodium is added later, for neutralization.
During fermentation, Corynebacterium species, cultured with ammonia and carbohydrates from sugar beets, sugarcane, tapioca or molasses, excrete amino acids into a culture broth from which L-glutamate is isolated.
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo (currently Kyowa Kirin) developed industrial fermentation to produce L-glutamate.
The conversion yield and production rate (from sugars to glutamate) continues to improve in the industrial production of Monosodium glutamate, keeping up with demand.
The product, after filtration, concentration, acidification, and crystallization, is glutamate, sodium ions, and water.
