Chemical Compound - Monosodium Glutamate Introduction Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the salt of an amino acid-glutamic acid or glutamate. It is commonly used as a flavor-enhancing food additive. Monosodium glutamate is a very important ingredient in the cuisines of China and Japan. Glutamates are found naturally in tomatoes, cheese and mushrooms. It is also used in soups, sauces and frozen vegetables. MSG has a unique taste, known as umami (meaning "savory deliciousness") that is considered distinct from the four basic tastes sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. History Monosodium glutamate was first recognized by Kikunae Ikeda at Tokyo Imperial University, Japan, in 1908. He took an algae called Laminaria japonica and subjected it to a series of chemical experiments over a few days and noticed the development of a crystalline form. The Ajinomoto ("essence of taste") company was later founded to produce and market monosodium glutamate in Japan. It was also introduced in the United States in 1947 as the Ac'cent flavor enhancer. Structure and nature The molecular formula of MSG is C5H8NO4Na and the molecular mass is 169.111099 g/mol. It is a white powder with a melting temperature of 225°C and is soluble in water. MSG is quite stable as it does not change appearance or quality at room temperature. Under acidic conditions (pH 2.2-2.4) and high temperatures monosodium glutamate is dehydrated and converted to 5-pyrrolidone-2-carboxylic acid. Production Method Monosodium glutamate can be produced by three common methods which are protein hydrolysis, synthesis and microbial fermentation. In the hydrolysis method, the protein is hydrolyzed with a strong mineral acid into free amino acids, and the glutamic acid is then separated from the mixture, purified and converted into monosodium glutamate... in the middle of the paper.... ..used from MSG are called Chinese restaurant syndrome because it is used in large quantities in Chinese food and restaurants. As mentioned above, MSG makes us crave processed foods with MSG, and most processed and packaged foods now contain MSG. This is one of the main reasons why people in America are becoming obese. It has been reported that the average person eats much more glutamate than what is considered a normal and safe amount in the typical American diet. Conclusion Small amounts of MSG are not a problem, but if small amounts of MSG are found in several common foods that are consumed every day, the problem becomes much more serious. The only way to ensure limited MSG consumption is to eat natural fruits and vegetables and limited amounts of processed and packaged foods from the supermarket.