The OFFICIAL MSG discussion thread.

I'm not going to make my post here that I originally thought I would because of my tendencies towards full mayhem jackassery. As evidence of this, please click on my profile and look at all posts by bigabyte.

Instead, I will say this. The human tongue picks up 5 flavors, one of which is the umami sense that MSG provdes so well. Additonally, MSG is a known excitotoxin meaning it makes the foods you taste seem more flavorful and exciting.

With this information in mind, questioning why people use MSG is really silly. The reason is right there.

Now some people are all about taking away peoples rights to have access to something they like. Some people like being anti-tobacco, or anti-alcohol, or anti-obese and they have their own good reasons for feeling that way.

What is great is that first off, they can choose to avoid these things, and then they can also effect change on others through awareness and then getting enough support to take away the right of others to partake in those things that these certain individuals feel are so bad they should be forced to avoid them.

I am not taking a side on whether or not this is how I would choose to be, I'm just stating that we have the rights to do these things in our society, stating it as a fact.

At one time there was Prohibition and nobody could drink alcohol. There are laws on the books of local jurisdictions everywhere, and even federal laws (on airplanes for example) that prohibit people from smoking tobacco. These things are great examples of people effecting change for things they think are so freaking important they need to impose their will on those who would otherwise prefer to live their own lines the way they would choose to.

The MSG debate fits perfectly in here. Some people choose to use it, and those who are in the business of making people get as excited about the taste of their food as possible are going to view MSG as a valuable tool. Some people won't like MSG for one reason or another and decide to just let others use MSG if they so desire. Some others simply won't be able to let this slide and will feel they need to make the decision for others on whether or not they should use MSG.

One thing is for certain though, those who wish to control the thoughts or decisions of others are not my friends. So don't expect me to support you in your cause, for whatever reason.

Freaking anti-freeze is poisonous as hell, and tastes very sweet. Hundreds of thousands of animals die from drinking this concoction spilled all over the place. So we better outlaw that and have a thread created for it because it is oh so very important.

Oh yeah, that would be stupid I guess.

Where were we again?

MSG in small quantities for me is fine. I just prefer not to use it in cooking that my kids will eat at this time. For those who are cup a noodle junkies, im not sure they are aware of the high concentration of MSG in them. Ive had this argument with a friend of mine years back while i worked in the prison system. He was a cup a soup junkie, generally 3-4 a shift. He talked bad about MSG, health risks, etc.. Then i grabbed his beloved cup of noodles and pointed it out... Arguments ended :boxing:

It does intensify flavor and i dont mind it in small amounts. I just dont like my kids eating much artificial stuff since they are toddlers.

I can use or not use, thats the cool thing about being able too choose for yourselves. Folks that I sometimes cater for usually have an idea of what they want so I cook to customer specs. I don't think I have ever told anyone, this is how I do it, take it or leave. I am a chef and pit master and enjoy cooking to the specs. of clients, sometimes its even challenging.

I mainly choose to leave it alone for my choice but sometimes I use a little too.

I can take it or leave it. My wife, however, and 4 other people I know have adverse reactions to it. So we do not use it. I wouldn't ever tell anyone not to use it. I would ask, though, that we be told if it is in food we intend to consume.


Chuck


PS Great thread idea, Jorge.

Is it ever in something Labeled as "Natural Flavors"? Oishi brand potato chips Onion and Garlic flavor list it on the label and they are very good. I don't recall seeing it on poatato chips in the USA.

I have a friend who is deathly alergic to msg( cant breath ,trip to hospital ect) so she asks if they use msg, sometimes its hard to get people to admit they use it,before I met her i did not give msg much thought ,the great thing about america is choice, if people use it she does not get mad she uses her abilty to choose and goes somewhere else, as long as you tell people you use msg i dont have a problem, my $.02 for what its worth

My Doctor has me off of MSG, and I have Documentation to show it...My Blood Pressure Medication LOL

1_T_Scot said:

Is it ever in something Labeled as "Natural Flavors"? Oishi brand potato chips Onion and Garlic flavor list it on the label and they are very good. I don't recall seeing it on poatato chips in the USA.

Click to expand...

Not according to the USDA. If MSG is used in the product, it must state Mono Sodium Glutamate on the label. Sure, some labels aren't truthful. This can be because something is being covered up or someone doesn't understand the rules. But if you see Natural Flavorings on a label, they shouldn't include MSG or other glutamates. Rules for food labels have a TON of rules by the FDA: text size, required inclusions, placement, etc. Like any government regulation, it takes a paralegal degree to understand.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Help/FAQs_Flavorings/index.asp

Also, hydrolyzed proteins are not to be labeled as natural flavors either.

Form USDA site...

Can hydrolyzed animal or vegetable protein be identified as "natural flavoring" on the label?
No. FSIS regulation requires that animal or vegetable proteins must be specifically identified in the ingredient statement on the labels. The source of the protein must also be disclosed. On the label, you will read "hydrolyzed wheat protein" or "hydrolyzed milk protein," not just hydrolyzed protein.

Why say umami? I think we have adequate english words, like hearty, that means exactly the same.
It was synthesized by some japanese a long time ago out of seaweed. The reason sushi actually tastes like something is the seaweed enhancing the rice/raw fish taste.
Consuming large amounts is said to damage "cells", in south China for example, people eat lots of fish soups that consist of MSG by the spoonful, a bit of fish and some chives.
Statistically, people wear a lot more glasses then in the north. There people eat hearty foods, bread, meat and noodles in broth.
So why do you get the chinese restaurant syndrome? Overdose! If you eat cup noddles every day, ur used to it, like coffee, a couple of beers...
On bbq, a bit rounds out the flavor, but if I would cook vegetarian, I'd use a lot more. Or substitute with seaweed.

repoman013 said:

I have a friend who is deathly alergic to msg( cant breath ,trip to hospital ect) so she asks if they use msg, sometimes its hard to get people to admit they use it,before I met her i did not give msg much thought ,the great thing about america is choice, if people use it she does not get mad she uses her abilty to choose and goes somewhere else, as long as you tell people you use msg i dont have a problem, my $.02 for what its worth

Click to expand...

Repo,
I ask this strictly out of curiousity. lots of foods have "natural occuring" glutamates in them, anchovies for one. Is your friend allergic to these types of foods as well or just "MSG" it's self?

I personally use some spice blends and rubs that have msg. Some of these are from brethren on this site, some are not. I love these blends/rubs and will continue to use them, however I notice after consuming larger amounts I often end up with headaches. I have tried changing things from my cooks and have not found any change. This may or may not have to do with msg.
I do know, I do not know enough about it nor have enough factual information regarding the matter to properly determine msg as the cause. At this point my headaches are purely coincidental. Until I am able to actually determine this is all because of MSG I will continue to experiment and eliminate things from my cooks until I'm able to be comfortable.

With that being said I am a bit suspicious.

My very most favorite steak seasoning that I have been eating since I had teeth has 1% msg. I tried the no msg version of the same seasoning but dang it all.....It's not the same. I don't use msg as an ingredient and avoid labels that say that have it but some things you just can't live without.

I can't find my source, but, MSG is a salt of glutamic acid, which is the constituent ingredient that contributes the umami flavor to items like seaweed and anchovies. Some people feel the extraction of the glutamic acid as a salt causes it to be chemically changed in a manner that can cause allergic reactions.

What really frosts me is that I thought I had a link to a paper that covered a lot of this from chemical, legal and epidemiological sources and now I can't find it.

I for one have not paid much attention to MSG. But in the previous thread about it I learned some valuable lessons about my problems and how they might be related, namely wheat allergies.

I have already sent a few questions to my GI. And you can bet I will be looking at labels a little closer now.

Thanks all, Jim