MSG: The flavorful controversy
People like food, especially in this country, where unfortunately some people love it too much. Everyone likes to eat something different, exotic-sounding, foreign cheese, wines, caviars, but does anyone really want an amino acid? Chemical additives such as MSG, monosodium glutamate, have been the cause of many debates over their use in foods. MSG is formed from the amino acid, glutamic acid, sodium, and water. It is naturally produces in meat, vegetables, fruits, and in the body. Found in both “free”, and “bound” forms, the free form is an effective flavor enhancer. Discovered over 1200 years ago in the orient from fermentation of the seaweed Laminaria Japonica, it has been used ever since as a flavor enhancer. It has no flavor of its own, but amplifies flavors and masks bad tastes. It is due to this property that the food industry has used and abused it.
They created propaganda to promote the use of this product. To them it must have seemed a miracle to have this additive that makes their products better. Although it was not created by man, and is present in nature, it is the mass production and unnatural addition of MSG that is a problem. At the time of World War II, totally preposterous, unclean studies “proved” that MSG was the reason that the Japanese soldiers had a lot of energy. It was then marketed as a table spice, Accent, intended to mingle with the Salt and Pepper shakers. Upon inspection, they should have known that the energy in the soldiers could come from anything from political beliefs to psychological factors.
