Monosodium Glutamate & Msg Substitutes

Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid and a flavor enhancer discovered by Kikunae Ikeda at the University of Tokyo in 1907 while attempting to identify the taste component in the dried kelp konbu. He termed this unique taste umami, now considered the fifth basic taste together with bitter, sour, sweet and salty. Other umami substances that can and often are substituted for MSG are disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.

Monosodium Glutamate

Monosodium glutamate has been used for decades as a food additive to enhance the flavor of oriental food, canned soups, vegetables and processed meats. Its use is controversial because the Food and Drug Administration has received many reports of adverse reactions to this food additive. Various symptoms reported, according to MayoClinic.com, include headache, sweating, heart palpitations, chest pain, nausea and facial tightness, although no research has found there is a definite link between these symptoms and MSG. MSG is not a salt substitute and only contains one third of the amount of sodium as table salt. It produces the fifth taste, umami, a pleasant and subtle savory taste that blends well with other flavors, expanding and enhancing them to make food delicious.

Disodium Inosinate

Disodium inosinate is a food additive, flavor enhancer and substitute for monosodium glutamate. It adds a full-bodied flavor to food and, similar to disodium guanylate -- a newer substitute for MSG on the market -- it gives the sensation of fullness while eating, according to Oregon State University College of Health and Human Sciences. Disodium inosinate is found naturally in animal food products, such as bonito flakes, dried sardines, tuna, mackerel, beef, pork, chicken and horse meat. When fish is fresh, it contains little inosinate and no umami taste. Aging and drying produces a rise in inosinate with a characteristic umami taste as cells degrade. Adding bonito flakes or dried sardines in cooking are ways to substitute MSG in recipes.

Disodium Guanylate

Disodium guanylate, or DSG, is 50 to 100 times more effective as a flavor enhancer than monosodium glutamate, according to Oregon State University. It intensifies and modifies sweet or salty flavors, suppresses those that are undesirable and adds viscosity to liquid foods. It is used in snack foods, canned foods, sauces and soups. It is found in nature only in plants, especially mushrooms, including matsutake, enokitake and dried shiitake.

Other MSG Substitutes

An effect similar to that produced by MSG can be achieved by cooking chicken or beef, which contain inosinate, with soybeans, ripe tomatoes or vegetables containing free glutamate, such as Chinese cabbage and potatoes. Parmesan cheese can be added and it contains high concentrations of free glutamate. A Chinese food recipe for MSG is stir-frying soybean sprouts in oil, adding water and a piece of sugar cane, corn cobs and button mushrooms and boiling, then simmering over a low heat until the liquid is reduced. Filter the liquid, freeze in ice-cube trays and use as MSG in cooking. Adding more salt to a recipe and enhancing flavors with the use of spices are other ways to avoid using MSG.

Monosodium Glutamate & MSG Substitutes