The hidden harmful ingredient – Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Commercial advantages of Monosodium Glutamate or MSG use to food industry includes enhanced food flavour, making processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher and smell better, more tasty salad dressings, and less tinny canned foods. MSG has found its way into many products such as canned soups, crackers, meats, salad dressings, frozen dinners, local supermarket and restaurants, in school cafeteria and, amazingly, even in baby food and infant formula. Another ingredient which is just another name for MSG is Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein.
In the American context, some examples of foods containing MSG include Campbell’s soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays flavoured potato chips, Top Ramen, Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen prepared meals, Kraft salad dressings, especially the ‘healthy low fat’ ones. Burger King, McDonalds, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, TGIF, Chilis’, Applebees and Denny’s use MSG in abundance.
| Names of ingredients that always contain processed free glutamic acid: | Names of ingredients that often contain or produce processed free glutamic acid during processing |
| Glutamate (E620)
Monosodium glutamate (E621) Monopotassium glutamate (E622) Calcium glutamate (E623) Monoammonium glutamate (E624) Magnesium glutamate (E625) Natrium glutamate Calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate Gelatin Hydrolysed protein Textured vegetable protein Whey protein Soy protein Soy sauce Soy sauce extract Ajinomoto Umami |
Carrageenan (E407)
Any flavours and flavourings Bullion & broth Stock Maltodextrin Citric acid, citrate Barley malt Pectin (E440) Seasonings Anything ultra-pasteurized Malt extract Glutamic acid found in unadulterated protein does not cause adverse reactions. To cause adverse reactions, the glutamic acid must have been processed/manufactured or come from protein that has been fermented |
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