Recent
ruckus on use of MSG in many food preparations has created curiosity
about this condiment. I am putting my findings of this important
condiment here for my readers. If there is any objection because it
is a foreign condiment then I would like to point out to them that
almost 70% of vegetables we eat are of foreign origin. If we do not
mind using potato, tomato, red chilly and many such everyday
vegetables why object to MSG? Many vegetables such as sweet potato
are used in preparations of offerings on fasting on religious
occasions. These observations show that this resistance to MSG does
not have any sensibility.
Kikunae
Ikeda was inventor
of Mono Sodium Glutamate.
Mono
Sodium Glutamate was invented in 1908 by Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo
Imperial University based on research for the purpose of
commercializing as seasoning the component of kombu (a type of
seaweed) that produces its good taste.
Taking
a hint from the taste of kombu, Dr. Ikeda thought that a flavor other
than sweet, sour, bitter, salty, astringent and pungent (spicy hot)
existed and proceeded to ascertain its original form. This flavor is
called "MSG" in Japanese and is best translated as
"delicious." His experiments resulted in the discovery that
the "delicious" flavor of kombu comes from mono sodium
glutamate, and Dr. Ikeda invented a method of obtaining crystalline
mono sodium glutamate, the flavor in its purest form. Commercial
production of this mono sodium glutamate was carried out by
Saburosuke Suzuki, the founder of Ajinomoto Co., Inc., under request
from Kikunae Ikeda. Dr. Ikeda's invention, sold under the Ajinomoto
name, has become popular as a seasoning not only in Japan, but
worldwide. It is said that initially when this condiment was
introduced in the Japan home market no body was the taker as Japanese
housewives were rather orthodox in their food habits in those days.
Then Ajinomoto was introduced in Chinese market and it was received
with great interest. Later on Chinese made it an essential part of
their cooking. Ajinomoto is a Japanese word meaning "king of
tastes" or great taste. Ajino means taste. Mono
sodium glutamate is often mentioned as MSG. Even though it is a
Japanese product world over it is known as a Chinese condiment.
According
to Indian cuisine sweet, sour, bitter, hot (pungent, spicy, तीख्खा),
salty and astringent are basic six tastes. Mono sodium glutamate is
Astringent in taste. Normally this taste is not found in any edible
matter. A proper combination of sweet (glucose) and Alum can give
taste similar but not exactly same of this mono sodium glutamate.
By
Aurvedic specification "MSG" has following qualities (गुण).
Digestive (पाचक),
mild purgative (सारक),
Carminatives (वातहारक),
Stomachic (दिपन),
Alternative (रसायन),
Cholagogues (पित्तहारक),
Astringent (ग्राही).
Looking to these qualities of MSG more research is required to find
out its uses as medicinal product in both Homeopathy and other
medical therapies.
It
is wrongly said that mono sodium glutamate or Ajinomoto is dangerous
to health. Actually even after extensive investigation it could not
be proved. Use of MSG or Ajinomoto should be similar to common salt.
Any extra addition does not help improve taste of food any more.
Ajinomoto improves taste of starchy and meaty food, adding it in
other preparations does not help in any way. MSG is a seaweed product
and so it is made out of pure vegetative origin. Kombu is eaten by
Japanese people for many centuries. They never experienced any
unhealthy effect or any incidence of development of cancer and so any
propaganda that this salt of glutamate is causing cancer; is
absolutely baseless and ill motivated. In Indian cuisine we use green
condiments such as kadipatta, fudinaa (fenugreek), Dhania (kothimbir,
Coriander) and Ginger; similarly dried kombu was used in Japanese
preparations. It is a perfectly vegetarian condiment. Kombu
is a natural seaweed and so the extract from it, is acceptable to
Aurvedic preparations. Ajinomoto has slight preservative property and
so when added to food it helps improve the keeping properties of that
preparation. Reasonable
proportion recommended is about one teaspoonful for 1kg food
preparation.
Indian
food preparations are such that as one starts eating food a gas
formation takes place in the digestive system. That makes one feel
that his stomach is already full. After some time the gas is absorbed
in the system and he can eat more. When MSG is added this is avoided
and so one can eat food properly. This particular quality of MSG has
made it popular all over the world. Actually it is experienced that
one eats more food treated with MSG (Ajinomoto).
If
one wants to avoid use of MSG then to avoid possibility of gas
formation food should be prepared as given here, all protein products
such as Dal (pulses) and Meat preparations, which cause gas
formation, should be first either fried (tossed) in oil or slightly
roasted and then used. Frying and roasting removes this gas in the
protein material in the Dal (pulses) or Meat. If MSG is added, even
after fried or roasted food, it offers no advantage. That means light
frying or proper roasting is doing the same effect as MSG. Of course,
unique astringent taste that this salt of mono sodium gives is an
additional point in favor of MSG.
When
first this seasoning was introduced in India in 1934, after First
World War in Mumbai, Ajinomoto was called Chinlon (meaning salt from
China) by local cooks. Many preparations were made using this salt
however as Second World War began imports of this material were
stopped. And housewives of Mumbai also forgot it until it was again
introduced in the recent time. In India one company is franchisee of
Ajinomoto corporation of USA, I wonder why that company is saying
nothing against the objections raised against MSG?
In
U.S a law case was filed on it some years back and it was proved then
that MSG is not a pollutant or any toxic. MSG in right proportion is
working as a preservative also. As of being allergic some tests were
performed in U.S and it was proved that it was only imagination of
those people who claimed to be having allergy of MSG. Glutamate
segment in this salt is essential element in our body's protein and
our body needs it to build muscles.
Two
groups of people who claimed that they had allergy due to eating MSG
were prepared and they were given to eat preparations made by using
MSG and other without MSG. One group was given food without MSG but
were told that it contains MSG and they began to show allergy
effects; this proved that allergy is only some imagination and there
is no sense in it. Other group was given food with MSG but they were
told that the food does not contain MSG and they did not show any
signs of allergy even after eating food made with MSG. Again proving
that allergy is some sort of imagination of these people. I some
times wonder why our (so called) experts are behaving like senseless
all the time.
In
view of these findings I suggest that our FD department who is
creating scene about this harmless condiment must prove their point
in a scientific manner.
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may contact me on my Email ID given below,
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