Did you know that a group of leopards is called a leap of leopards?
The flavour of a false alarm: MSG
The flavour of a false alarm: MSG Monosodium glutamate, a food additive, is the salt
form of glutamate, an amino acid found in almost every protein.
Glutamate is found in large amounts in tomatoes, peas, mushrooms,
breast milk, some cheese as well as kelp and soy. Glutamate, and
MSG, is found to enhance the umami flavour of certain foods. Umami
is considered the fifth taste in Asia, and is now being recognized
by western chefs and scientists. Many people claim to have
reactions to MSG additives, and so labelling regulations have been
put in place for foods containing MSG. However, these regulations
also apply to food containing naturally occurring glutamate, such
as tomato sauce. Essentially, it is likely that one would consume
more glutamate from Italian food than from Chinese food seasoned
with MSG. The actual scientific proof of MSG effects is slight and
one study concluded that, "neither persistent nor serious effects
from MSG ingestion are observed and the responses were not
consistent on re-testing." MARCH 15, 2001
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