Glutamate

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Glutamate (E621) for more than a century it has been one of the most widely used spices in the food industry. Glutamate is widely used as a flavoring, being considered a staple in Japanese and Chinese cuisine. It is not so common in Western cuisine, where tastes believe that the spice is more.

It is believed that umami, which are taste buds, are activated by monosodium glutamate. They react to glutamate the way cakes react to sugar. Umami is identified with the fifth taste - in addition to sweet, salty, sour and bitter.

Glutamate is used to improve the taste of various foods, often combined with meat, poultry, seafood and semi-finished products, and less often with mushrooms and pastries. Also known as E621, it has a specific taste and aromatic spices, fats, carbohydrates, vegetable proteins, etc. are added to it. Every cube broth contains monosodium glutamate.

History of glutamate

The story of glutamate begins millennia ago. About 1,200 years ago, Oriental chefs discovered that some seaweed dishes tasted much better. It was not until 1908, however, that Professor Kikunae Ikeda of the University of Tokyo isolated glutamate from seaweed, revealing the secret of its flavor-enhancing abilities. Since then, glutamate has been used as an effective way to improve the taste of food.

The quantity is different monosodium glutamate in food, but especially rich in this supplement are those that are high in protein. The human body also produces large amounts of glutamate (muscles, brain and other organs in the human body contain about 1.8 kg of glutamate), and breast milk contains more glutamate than cow's milk.

Glutamic acid is one of the twenty amino acids that make up human proteins; it is critical for the proper functioning of cells, but is not considered an essential nutrient because the body can produce it from simpler compounds. In addition to being one of the building blocks in protein synthesis, it is important for the functioning of the brain as a stimulating neurotransmitter.

Daily dose of glutamate

This spice is most widely used in Japan and Thailand, but there the recommended dose exceeds six times the European. It is recommended to add 1-1.5 g of glutamate (approximately one third of a teaspoon) to 1 kg of product or 1 liter of liquid.

Nutritionists say that it is absolutely undesirable for monosodium glutamate to be present in the children's menu, as well as any other food supplements. A person consumes an average of 10 g of bound glutamate and about 1 g of free glutamate per day, and the human body produces about 50 g of free glutamate per day. With the intake of this food supplement, 18% of glutamic acid and 22% of sodium enter the human body. The amount of sodium in table salt is 39%.

Glutamate production

The monosodium glutamate product is produced by a fermentation process of starch, sugar beet or molasses, similar to the fermentation of yoghurt and vinegar. The product obtained is in the form of crystals, which are easily dissolved in various liquids and very easily mixed with other foods.

Glutamate is used in huge quantities mainly for flavoring chips, corn sticks, frozen semi-finished foods, etc. The so-called glutamate is widely used in the so-called. fast food or fast breakfast. Monosodium glutamate is found naturally in seaweed, fermented soy products, tomatoes, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.

Statistics show that in 2001 more than 1.5 million tons of monosodium glutamate were sold, with forecasts for an increase in its consumption by an average of 4% per year. Its widespread use is based on the fact that glutamate is much cheaper to add various products than other flavors and aromas.

Glutamate or monosodium glutamate is a substance that is necessary for human vital activity. It is a food supplement that has the ability to bring to the surface the unique natural taste of each dish and with this function helps to deliver aesthetic pleasure from food in the human brain. After all, the good taste of food is something valued by man.

Main characteristics of glutamate

1. White color;

2. Appearance - crystalline powder;

3. No odor;

4. Dissolves well in water;

5. Salty taste;

6. High resistance to temperature and light.

In which products is glutamate most often added?

1. Salami and minced meat;

2. Chips;

3. Biscuits and ready snacks;

4. Canned products;

5. Semi-finished products;

6. Fast food dishes;

7. Cube broth.

Myths about glutamate

There are many myths about this food supplement, for example that it is harmful to health and can cause serious problems. But is that really so?

Myth №1 May cause an asthma attack

Many believe that glutamate can provoke an exacerbation and development of bronchial asthma, as well as severe allergic reactions. However, scientists have shown that this is an unsubstantiated claim and there is no direct link between eating glutamate and exacerbation of asthma or the occurrence of an allergic reaction.

Myth №2 Can lead to obesity

Many people are convinced and believe that the consumption of E621 leads to a sharp increase in weight or in other words - provokes obesity. In fact, this is somewhat justified and it has been proven that glutamate leads to an increase in appetite, even if you are already busy. However, there is no proven link between weight gain and food intake with such supplements. In other words, it is the high caloric content of some of the products that contain this supplement that leads to weight gain, not glutamate itself.

Myth №3 Leads to addiction

A common misconception is that foods containing E621 are addictive, which can even be compared to nicotine, for example. This is not only a legend, but also completely untrue. The myth can be said to have been invented by people who want to justify their unhealthy diet and habits by saying that someone else is to blame for their harmful menu. However, products containing this additive have been shown not to be addictive.

Myth №4 Eating glutamate foods can lead to vision loss

Japanese scientists are proving that this is completely wrong and unjustified. They studied mice that had eaten E621 for half a year. Some animals received the supplement by injection, but the result was negative in both groups. The mice did not receive any visual impairment given the increased rate of glutamate in food them.

Myth №5 Only "natural" glutamate is useful

No, this is another legend that is not backed by evidence. The so-called "artificial" and "natural" glutamate are no different.

Myth №6 It occurs in nature in very small quantities

Another misconception, as glutamate is found in abundance in many foods that contain protein. As we know, they are a sequence of amino acids. This means that glutamate is contained in them in a bound form, which does not change the nature of its impact on the body even after heat treatment. For example, mushrooms, meat and tomatoes are very rich in glutamate.

Myth №7 It is just a taste enhancer

Yes, it makes food tastier overall. However, this does not mean that this supplement is just that and has no benefits for our body. The gastrointestinal tract almost completely breaks down glutamate and separates it from the body naturally, using it as a kind of fuel.

Myth №8 Manufacturers add too much glutamate

In terms of its culinary properties, it is similar to salt: if you add too much of it, the food will not taste good and no one would like it. Therefore, manufacturers add no more than 0, 5% by weight of the product, as a larger amount of the additive will spoil the taste of food. Himself glutamate is not a toxic substance and for this reason there is no problem to add it even in larger quantities to the food. If we have to talk in numbers, we will add that it is necessary to eat about 200 kilograms of chips to make the dose of glutamate toxic or deadly to the body.

Myth №9 May damage the body

As we said, if you eat a kilo of pure substance, then you can harm your body, but hardly anyone would do this experiment with the body. The concentration of glutamate in food is negligible and therefore it can not in any way harm human health. An interesting fact that many of you probably don't know is that there is 8 times more glutamate in cottage cheese compared to chips. You can always check the specific amount of this supplement, which is indicated on the packaging of each product.

Myth №10 Can change DNA

Yes, even such myths exist that glutamate can enter a person's bloodstream and negatively affect their DNA. Such a statement is true madness, and we hasten to tell you that it is not true. Even our body itself produces glutamate, which is used, for example, as a transmitter by the nervous system. However, it does not have the ability to get into it, namely due to the specifics of the physiology of the human body. At the same time, the concentration of glutamate in the brain is 100 times higher, namely compared to our blood. That is why it is hardly possible to talk about poisoning with the code name E621, since the brain is already "poisoned" by this supplement from Mother Nature.

Harm from glutamate

Some people think they are allergic or sensitive to monosodium glutamate and it has been repeatedly accused of causing various physical symptoms such as migraines, nausea, indigestion, palpitations, asthma and countless other complaints, leading to anaphylactic shock.

Symptoms that have sometimes been confused with heart attacks or allergic reactions are sometimes called Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. Over the last few decades, a significant amount of research and testing has been conducted in the field of allergies to monosodium glutamate and most controlled studies show no association between glutamate levels in the diet and any allergic reaction.

However, glutamate is generally considered safe, alongside salt, vinegar, baking soda and sodium tripolyphosphate.