Will you get sick due to eating Ajinomoto? This is its story….

 

Do you eat kottu or fried rice frequently from outside?

After eating, have you ever experienced too much thirsty?

 In 1908, Japanese scientist, Kakunae Ikada identified a different taste from seaweeds. It was not similar to tastes (sweet, salt, sour and bitter) which are generally identified by our tongue. This newly recognized taste was name as “UMAMI/SAVORY” taste. The amino acid called Glutamate or Glutamic acid responsible for the umami taste. This scientist extracted Glutamate from seaweeds and sodium was added to make a kind of crystalline salt. This sodium incorporated salt is named as Monosodium Glutamate/ MSG. But most of people know it as Ajinomoto of its commercial name.  Glutamic acid is naturally available in tomato, potato, mushrooms, grapes, milk, cheese, meat and fish etc. It is produced in body as a non-essential amino acid as well. Glutamate produced in brain helps for nerve pulse transmission. It contains in mother’s milk as well. Therefore, umami taste is familiar to people from the infant stage. Glutamate which is taken from all these sources and from MSG undergoes the same metabolism pathway.

Do you know how MSG in today’s market is made out?

Nowadays, fermented starch in maize, sugar cane and tapioca is used to produce MSG in commercial scale. In this process, glucose in starch is subjected to microbial fermentation and glutamate is produced as a result of the fermentation process. Then sodium is added into isolated glutamate to produce MSG. Mono Sodium Glutamate/ MSG or Ajinomoto is a flavor enhancer used in different kinds of food items especially in kottu, fried rice, noodles and snacks etc. It gives a savory/ umami taste to the food. Most of people love to eat them due to this umami taste. Some of foods don’t contain added MSG. But they get MSG automatically from MSG containing ingredient such as soy sauce, tomato sauce and marmite. 

There is a popular belief in society as MSG causes to make people sick. People may face some difficulties such a thirsty, headache, sleepiness and muscle pain etc. after eating MSG added foods. Long time ago, people faced such kinds of difficulties after eating Chinese foods. So people started to call it as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”. The reason behind this case was use of excess amounts of MSG in Chinese foods. According to 2013 data, per capita consumption of MSG in China was 3.5g/day and in Sri Lanka was 0.36g/day. If you face above mentioned difficulties after taking fried rice or kottu, it indicates that you have eaten over dose of MSG more than daily recommendation. In USA and UK daily recommended MSG amount to be eaten by a person is 0.55g/day and 1.2-1.7g/day in Japan and Korea. Other than that, increasing of fat deposition in body, escalation of some diseases including diabetics, high blood pressure, cholesterol are the side effect of over consumption of MSG. It’s better to avoid MSG by people who are suffering from those kinds of diseases.

Does MSG directly cause to make people suffering from chronic diseases?  It is not yet scientifically proved. But the truth is people may get sick due to eating MSG in higher quantities and eating frequently. MSG has been studied extensively and its safety has been affirmed by many organizations including WHO, FDA and FAO. MSG has been classified under flavor enhancers as a food additive in European Union classification as E621/ INS 621. In some countries including Australia, New Zealand and EU countries, there is a mandatory requirement to mention the quantity of MSG in particular foods on their packages. According to the regulations in countries like USA and India, foods with naturally occurring MSG cannot be labeled as “NO ADDED MSG”. If same weights of salt and MSG is compared, salt contains three times of sodium than in MSG. Therefore, MSG helps to reduce the amount of salt consumption. In 2018 MSG was banned in Punjab region in Pakistan. Not only that, MSG is banned for baby food item in more than 50 countries including European Union countries too.

However the issue is not regarding the healthiness of MSG, it is with how much and how often you eat MSG. it’s a big concern needs to be taken into account. So you can make change… cook your favorite foods at home and select the restaurants which gives you healthy foods without adding MSG like artificial additives. As there are so many natural spices rich with flavor and nutritional values, don’t run behind the artificial flavors and additives which can affect to your healthiness in a bad manner.  

Will you get sick due to eating Ajinomoto - Video clip