I heard that eating much MSG is bad for our health, so we totally do not eat MSG, cooking with chicken and mushroom essence. MSG has many hazards in the urban legend, these "harm" is not the same in a different version of the legend. Many people "believe" MSG is harmful, in addition to these urban legends, a very important reason is that it is the chemical industrial. But the fact is not the case.

MSG is what?
Body able to experience the basic tastes, called "fresh". Asians have long to use a variety of soup as a condiment to add "flavor" of the food, such as chicken soup, bone soup, seaweed soup, and so on. 1907, the Japanese after the evaporation of a large number of seaweed soup, sodium glutamate and found that this thing tastes like the flavor in many foods. This thing is we are talking about MSG.

The initial monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed protein and purified. The modern industrial production of some good to the secretion of glutamate bacterial fermentation. Fermentation of raw materials starch, sugar beets, sugar cane and even molasses, making production costs greatly reduced. This process is similar to the production of wine, vinegar, soy sauce. Do not use chemical raw materials in the production process. If the wine, vinegar and soy sauce as a "natural products", MSG should also be a natural product. If the fermentation and purification of industrial processes it as a "chemical products", then at least the liquor can also be classified as "chemical products".

Glutamate is one of the 20 kinds of amino acid composition of proteins, widely present in the organism. Glutamate is not bound in the protein, however, affect the taste, the only free glutamic acid will be showing the status of the glutamate, arising from the "fresh" taste. Naturally present in foods containing hydrolyzed protein sodium glutamate, such as soy sauce, hydrolyzed protein, sodium glutamate content of about 1%, while the cheese is even higher. Some hydrolysis of proteins, such as hydrolyzed protein powder, or yeast extract, sodium glutamate content, and even as high as 5% or more. There are some fruits and vegetables naturally contain sodium glutamate, such as grape juice, tomato sauce, peas, there are a few tenths per cent of sodium glutamate. This concentration is higher than the minimum concentration required to produce "umami" and more.

Monosodium glutamate on the market today is highly purified fermentation product of Chinas national standards of sodium glutamate content at least in more than 80 percent, while the MSG of high purity requirements of more than 99%.

MSG and "Chinese restaurant complications"
1968, "New England Journal of Medicine published an article describing the strange experience of Chinese food. Roughly that began 15-20 minutes after eating Chinese food, the neck began to numb, and began to spread to the arms and back, usually lasts about two hours. This article triggered a worldwide panic for MSG, called "Chinese restaurant complications. Later, for "Chinese restaurant syndrome," but could not confirm its existence. However, based on the "not confirmed does not mean that there is no" unwarranted skepticism, the story quickly spread far and wide, but there is no concern for its research.

MSG security
MSG security studies did not find that it can cause harm. Only a handful of animal experiments found in the "dose" for some very sensitive mice to produce neurotoxicity. However, the required large doses far higher than the amount that may be used in human food, and no further follow-up study.

FDA, the American Medical Association, FAO and WHO, the Joint Group of Experts on Food Additives (JECFA), the European Commission Scientific Committee for Food (EFSA) have carried out the assessment and review. JECFA and EFSA are no security concerns about MSG, so use in food, "There is no limit. Recognized by the U.S. FDA of a report "unknown proportion of the population may react to MSG, but for the whole of MSG, they agreed with the JECFA conclusion.

How about chicken or other essence?
"Chicken," this name was very successful, drawn together to wrap the hens, giving the impression that chicken is the essence of "chicken". Chicken sales, but also great to replace the trend of the MSG.

Chicken ingredients or MSG, but MSG is a single sodium glutamate, while the chicken is a complex seasoning, sodium glutamate content in about 40%. Outside MSG chicken in addition to starch (used to form granules), flavor nucleotides (to increase the taste of MSG), sugar and other spices. Flavor nucleotide itself can also have a flavor. With MSG mixed flavor of the proceeds will be greatly more than the two separate flavor. This is called "synergy". Strictly speaking, there should be some ingredients such as chicken powder, chicken, etc. from chicken to chicken flavor. However, because the ingredients are more expensive from the chicken, in order to reduce costs, manufacturers may be entirely without chicken ingredients. So, whether it contains ingredients from the chicken you buy chicken, depends entirely on the manufacturer, the consumer is basically impossible to judge from the product.

MSG of a single component, a major increase in food "fresh" taste. Complex composite seasoning of the chicken, mushrooms and other fine ingredients, in general, "sweet" taste more rich. Is the kind of fine, as long as it can have a "flavor" contain MSG. Efficient only after careful formulation, complex flavor umami, to meet different specific needs.