History On Your Plate - Delicious by Design
The "fifth taste" — after salty, sweet, bitter, and sour—has been known for more than a century. Monosodium glutamate (or AJI-NO-MOTO), the cheap and easy way to get that umami hit, was once criticized as the cause of an allergic reaction known as Chinese restaurant syndrome. Although that's been debunked by scientists, is it still safe to include MSG in our diet? Monosodium glutamate (MSG) Monosodium glutamate( C ₅ H ₈ NO ₄ Na ), is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. It is designated as non-essential because the human body, as well as a large number of other plants and animals is able to produce it on its own. In the body, glutamic acid is often found as glutamate. Glutamate is one of the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitters in brain, playing a crucial role in memory and learning. The average adult consumes 13 grams of it a day from the protein in food. Non-meat food sources like tomatoes and Parmesan cheese have high levels of glutamic acid. MSG is used i...