MSG Scientific food safety

Is MSG safe? This is a long-standing issue. Many people try to keep their food at home when they are unable to determine whether MSG is harmful. However, modern people are busy with life and often choose to eat out. Restaurants will inevitably add MSG when cooking food. To increase the umami taste. Is MSG this condiment safe?

According to experts, since 1968, scientists from all over the world have conducted many researches on the safety of MSG. The accumulated research reports are numerous and the safety of MSG has been thoroughly studied. The vast majority of research reports are Affirm the safety of MSG in food.

According to the person in charge of a MSG Food Co., Ltd. in Guangzhou, as long as it is QS certified MSG, it is harmless to the human body. When purchasing MSG, besides looking for the QS certification on the packaging, the MSG level can also be seen from the “purity” indicator on the packaging. In general, the higher the purity, the better the quality. However, it should be noted that some counterfeit and monosodium glutamate in the market is mixed with industrial salt, sodium sulfate and other ingredients during production. This kind of “MSG” can cause harm to the human body. Therefore, you must be careful when purchasing: Good MSG crystal clear Transparent, uniform particles. The poor monosodium glutamate particles are jagged, sticking to each other, and the color is hoarse. Putting them into your mouth, if it is bitter, it may be mixed with ammonia monosodium glutamate.

Experts pointed out that MSG is safe and has been proved in many tests such as acute toxicity, subacute toxicity, slow acute toxicity, teratogenicity, and sudden variability test. However, safety is not necessarily healthy. Safety is based on correct use.

In addition, pay attention to children do not eat a lot of monosodium glutamate, because the baby's organs are not fully developed. Don't eat monosodium glutamate for babies under one year of age. When mothers breast-feed their children, they should eat less or not. Do not eat large amounts of monosodium glutamate for a long time. Do not process MSG at high temperatures because MSG breaks down into harmful substances at high temperatures. When cooking, it is best to add MSG before the pan. Due to prolonged heating, pyroglutamic acid sodium is formed and the umami taste of MSG is lost.

How to use MSG in cooking

For dishes prepared with soup, MSG does not have to be used. Because the soup itself has the characteristics of fresh, fragrant, and clear, using MSG will cover up the taste and the dishes will taste neither fish nor fowl.

For strong acid dishes such as sweet and sour sauce, MSG should not be used. Because monosodium glutamate is not easily soluble in acidic environments, the greater the acidity, the lower the solubility and the worse the umami effect.

It is not advisable to use monosodium glutamate in dishes containing alkaline ingredients because monosodium glutamate in the presence of monosodium glutamate will synthesize glutamic acid disodium and produce ammonia odor.

When MSG is used, it should be used in a good amount. If the amount is too much, it will cause bitter taste in the dish, resulting in the opposite effect. The MSG in each dish should not exceed 0.5 mg.

Cooking with MSG should be done while cooking. Because at high temperatures, monosodium glutamate decomposes into sodium pyroglutamate, which is dehydrated sodium glutamate, which not only has no umami taste but also produces toxins that harm the human body.

Monosodium glutamate storage

Powder MSG contains salt, easy to hygroscopic agglomerate. Normally, when it is stored, it should be sealed against moisture and placed in a dry and ventilated place.