Wondering why the food taste damn good?

I love to eat, so does everyone.

Unless you are suffering from Anorexia Nervosa disorder~ Haha.
Well, let's get back to our main topic.
Since eating is one of life's pleasure,
taste and flavor are definitely important
to enjoying food.
So, what is the component that makes
your food tasty?
There are actually two.
They are glutamate and monosodium glutamate.
Monosodium glutamate is the one known as MSG.
I believe most of you knew and heard of MSG.

Nonetheless, I will still explain the definition roughly
on these two components before going further.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Glutamate:
Glutamate is an amino acid,
found naturally in all protein-containing foods,
such as cheese, milk, mushrooms, meat,
fish and many vegetables.
Glutamate is also produced by human body
and is vital for metabolism and brain function.

Mushrooms

Cheese

Meats

Vegetables

Milk

(ALL OF THESE CONTAIN GLUTAMATE~)


Monosodium Glutamate:

Structural Formula of MSG

MSG is the sodium salt of glutamate.
When MSG is added to foods,
it provides a similar flavoring function
as the glutamate that occurs naturally in food.
MSG is comprised of nothing more than
water, sodium and glutamate.

Crystalline Monosodium Glutamate

Why is MSG used?
As the title mentioned above,
it is to give taste!
MSG is a flavor enhancer that
has been used effectively
to bring out the best taste in foods,
emphasizing natural flavors.

MSG seen in market:




MSG is normally obtained
by the fermentation of carbohydrates,
using bacteria or yeast species
from genera such as Brevibacterium, Arthrobacter,
Microbacterium, and Corynebacterium .

Like the sodium salts of other amino acids,
MSG is a stable colorless solid
that is degraded by strong oxidizing agents.
It exists as a pair of mirror image stereoisomers,
but only the naturally occurring L-glutamate form
is used as a flavor enhancer.

The most popular MSG being used in Malaysia

Our body handles glutamate and MSG the same.
For instance, the body does not distinguish
between free glutamate from tomatoes or cheese
and the glutamate from MSG added to foods.
Glutamate is glutamate,
whether naturally present or from MSG.

Is MSG safe?
Well, I can't even ensure you.
Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
has classified MSG as a food ingredient that is
"generally recognized as safe",
the use of MSG remains controversial.
It was researched that MSG may not contribute to
any long-term health problems, such as Alzheimer's disease.
However, some people may still have
short-term reactions to MSG.
These reactions (known as MSG symptom complex)
may include:
- headache
- flushing
- sweating
- sense of facial pressure
- numbness in or around the mouth
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- nausea
- weakness

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In my opinion, as long as we consume MSG
in an appropriate amount daily,
it should not be that serious.
No matter how it is still considered a chemical,
taking too much of it
would still harm our body of course.

Anyway, I still wanna thank those
who invented MSG. =)
Because of MSG, we get to enjoy tasty foods.
Because of tasty foods, I have my current body size.

References:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/monosodium-glutamate/AN01251
http://www.ific.org/publications/brochures/msgbroch.cfm