What is MSG?

Question

If a receipe asks for msg where do I find this? I know this is in a lot of foods to enhance flavour Ive never noticed it on the supermarket shelves is there another name for it?

Answer 1

MSG stands for Monosodium Glutamate.

a common asian brand would be Aji no Moto.

it is a flavor enhancer, but considered more as a seasoning in Asian cuisine. It also functions as a meat tenderizer in the Western world.

MSG is supposed to mimic the "sweetness" of meat. a natural form of this, Sodium Glutamate* [or something like that, with 2 sodium molecules instead of one], occurs naturally in meat, giving meat that "sweet" flavor. An example of this effect would be that if you put some MSG [a teeny pinch] on scrambled eggs [before you cook it], it would taste a little bit more like chicken.

In small amounts [say, half a teaspoon to 20 liters of porridge], MSG is harmless. however, in most junk foods and snacks, MSG is in high concentrations, which is dangerous to your health.

If your recipe calls for MSG, it is best not to use MSG at all. People wouldnt notice the difference between a recipe without MSG and a recipe with a safe level of MSG.

An MSG alternative would be pure brown sugar. Not the light brown granulated ones, but the sticky fine-grained brown sugar sometimes called Muscovado. Add it as if it were MSG - put only a small pinch [1/32 teaspoon], so as not to put a brown sugar flavor to your dish. Muscovado will mimic the flavor of MSG.

For large volume recipes, dont use Muscovado. If you must put MSG, 1/5 tesaspoon to 10 liters would be safe.

Answer 2

Monosodium Glutamate

Answer 3

In South Africa it is also called ZEAL. Don't know if this will help at all though, since it may well be called something different where you are. Look for a bottle which only has Monosodium Glutamate as the ingredient.

Answer 4

Monosodium glutamate is a food additive which is approved for use in commercial foods by FDA, which means BEWARE, of anything that the FDA approves. The FDA is a fraud, and serves the big corporate criminals, not the health and safety of the U.S.citizens. Search the web for the dangers of MSG. Thousands of people in the U.S. have become sick directly because of MSG. The best advice and warning is simply stay away from any food product containing MSG. Remember, the commercial food industry is not interested in your health and safety; they are only interested in money, profit, and greed.

Answer 5

The generic name for it is, Mono-Sodium-Glutimate... & it's particularly common in Oriental dishes. Ever hear of, "Adolfs Meat Tenderizer"?- That stuff's almost PURE MSG. I think you can still buy it at the grocery stores. Some people have an almost allergic reaction to it- so be carefull how much & how often you use it. Personally- plain old "salt" works good enough for me. :)

Answer 6

Monosodium glutamate, a sodium based food additive.
MSG "is a sodium salt of glutamic acid. MSG is a food additive, popularly marketed as a "flavor enhancer"."


It's popular in Asian cuisine.

Answer 7

Usually you can find MSG in an oriental food mart. MSG is a sodium derivative. My friend from New Guyana calls it "Aji". Ajinomoto Co. is the company in Japan which discovered it. "Ajinomoto" stands for "Essence of Taste".

Answer 8

When MSG is listed in a recipe you can substitute vegetable bouillon cubes or powder. It's closely related to maltodextrin.

Answer 9

All the above (except for BethanyLynn, whose answer doesn't pertain to this question but is kinda right) is right. It's in a lot of stuff, especially chinese food.

Answer 10

MonoSodiumGlutemate.

It probably isn't available as it is bad for your healthy and should be avoided.

It is found in a lot of Asian sauces, so if you really want some try an Asian speciality shop.