Friends, when eating, is there always MSG in your dishes? Almost every meal must put a little MSG, otherwise you always feel that something is missing.
But do you know what the MSG we eat every day, what is it made of, and is it made from strange raw materials, such as industrial waste?** At first, I thought so!
Until one day, I happened to hear that MSG is not made from waste materials, and most of its raw materials are agricultural products that we are very familiar with! It turns out that my MSG is made from these things!
1. Corn and wheat are the main raw materials
After inquiry, I learned that corn and wheat are the two main raw materials for making MSG.
Why are they? Because they all contain something called monosodium glutamate. It has a lot to do with the umami of MSG. Through a complex chemical extraction process, monosodium glutamate can be extracted from corn and wheat to make monosodium glutamate.
Moreover, there are some differences in MSG made by using different grain raw materials:
- The content of monosodium glutamate in corn is relatively high, so MSG made from corn is more common.
- There are relatively few of these ingredients in wheat, but the umami flavor is more abundant, so MSG made from wheat is more advanced*, and it is not as likely to be bought in supermarkets.
So to put it simply, corn monosodium glutamate is more economical, and wheat monosodium glutamate is more high-end. However, there will be no safety hazards with any raw materials, which can be assured!
Second, additives are also very important
In addition to these two grain ingredients, there are a few other things added to the making of MSG, which are mainly divided into two categories:
1. Anti-caking agent
Because pure and natural glutamic acid is easy to agglomerate, in order to maintain the fluidity of MSG products, an appropriate amount of anti-caking agent must be added so that it can maintain the state of fine powder.
2. Preservatives
Similarly, due to the use of natural agricultural raw materials, it is more prone to deterioration. In order to ensure the warranty period, a small amount of preservatives is also added.
All of these added ingredients are safe and only used in small amounts, so we don't have to worry about their safety.
3. No harmful substances will be generated at high temperatures
Regarding MSG, a widely spread saying on the Internet is that "high temperatures can produce harmful substances, so you can't put them in the dish in advance."
In fact, after scientific verification, this statement is inaccurate!
Indeed, heating MSG at high temperatures above 100°C produces very small amounts of harmful substances, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. But it contains very low levels, less than 1 part per 100,000 of the upper limit of food safety standards!
Such a small amount is unlikely to have any negative impact on human health. So we can rest assured that there will be no safety hazards whether it is put in advance or put in MSG before it comes out of the pot.
Through the above popular science, I think everyone should have a deeper understanding of the raw materials and safety issues of monosodium glutamate.
We know that corn and wheat are its main raw materials, and the additives are also safe; Cooking at high temperatures does not produce a large amount of harmful substances, so MSG can be used safely to flavor our dishes.
We hope you find this information helpful! Let's enjoy the delicious food together and explore the stories behind the food together!