Xiaowang
Professor Cheng, there has been a saying circulating on the Internet, "It is not good to eat too much monosodium glutamate, it is a chemical synthetic substance, not only has no nutrition, but it will also be harmful to the body if eaten often; What is the difference between MSG and chicken bouillon?
Let's get to know MSG first. MSG is a sodium salt of glutamate, which is a substance with umami taste, and its scientific name is sodium glutamate, also known as MSG. In addition, it also contains small amounts of salt, water, fat, sugar, iron, phosphorus, and other substances. Monosodium glutamate is a powdered or crystalline condiment made by hydrolysis of raw materials containing more protein such as wheat and soybeans or fermentation of starch as raw materials.
Monosodium glutamate, a kind of amino acid, is also one of the widely used flavoring condiments at home and abroad. Its main function is to increase the umami taste of food.
MSG is relatively stable under general cooking and processing conditions, but it is easy to change to sodium pyroglutamate at high temperature for a long time, which does not show umami taste and has slight toxicity.
Professor Cheng
Xiaowang
Professor Cheng, what about the chicken essence? We often see a big fat chicken painted on the packaging of the chicken essence, is it really made of chicken?
When we go to the supermarket to buy chicken bouillon, we often see a big fat chicken painted on the package of chicken bouillon, or written "made with fine fat chicken" or "made with real fine chicken". Actually, it's not primarily a natural condiment made from chicken, chicken bones or their concentrated extracts, as we might think. Its main ingredients are actually monosodium glutamate and salt. Among them, monosodium glutamate accounts for about 40% of the total ingredients, and there are also sugar, chicken or chicken bone meal, spices, inosinate, guanylate, chicken flavor, starch and other substances.
Professor Cheng
Xiaowang
It turns out that there are so many MSG ingredients in chicken bouillon. Professor Cheng, is chicken essence really more nutritious than MSG as people say?
Not necessarily.
First, monosodium glutamate has no direct nutritional value to the human body, but it can increase the umami of food, arouse people's appetite, help improve the body's digestion of food, and have a certain effect on the human body.
Second, monosodium glutamate, the main ingredient in monosodium glutamate, is beneficial for patients with chronic hepatitis, hepatic encephalopathy, neurasthenia, epilepsy, and achlorhydria.
Third, the reason why the essence of chicken is fresh is mainly the role of monosodium glutamate. As for the realistic chicken taste in the chicken essence, it mainly comes from chicken and chicken bone meal, which are extracted from fresh chicken and chicken bones, and the lack of calcium, iron, various vitamins and dietary fiber in chicken essence should not be understood as "chicken essence" is the essence of chicken.
Fourth, it is not necessarily good to eat too much chicken essence, but it is slightly more complex than MSG, and the nutrients contained are also slightly more comprehensive, but like MSG, chicken essence mainly plays a role in adding freshness and seasoning in cooking, and the dosage is not large, so it is of little significance to compare the nutritional value of the two.
Professor Cheng
Xiaowang
So do we choose MSG or chicken essence when cooking?
When cooking, the choice of MSG or chicken essence mainly depends on the cooking ingredients and personal taste. If the characteristics and flavors of the cooking ingredients are more prominent, such as meat, fish, etc., you can choose monosodium glutamate, which only plays a role in increasing freshness. For example, lean meat, its inosinate content is higher than that of ordinary foods, and only a little MSG needs to be added to achieve the effect of freshness, and if compound seasonings are added, it may damage its own flavor.
Professor Cheng
Xiaowang
Professor Cheng, I have another question, is MSG safe or not? Are there any clear regulations in the mainland?
At present, a number of international authoritative organizations believe that MSG has no safety problems. In the "Hygienic Standard for the Use of Food Additives" (GB 2760-2014) in the "List of Additives that Can Be Used in All Types of Foods in Appropriate Quantities According to Production Needs", monosodium glutamate is listed in the table as a "flavor enhancer", serial number 21, and there is no limit on the amount of additives. Therefore, monosodium glutamate is a safe freshness condiment. The same goes for essence of chicken.
In fact, monosodium glutamate is mainly made from corn and other grains, which are extracted and refined after biological fermentation. Don't look at MSG, it looks like an artificial chemical synthesis, in fact, it is a brewing product like soy sauce and vinegar. Therefore, everyone can eat it with confidence.
Professor Cheng
Xiaowang
I'm relieved when I say that.
It is still important to emphasize that although MSG has been proven to be safe, safety is premised on proper use. In the big thing of eating, moderation and moderation are the reliable principles.
Professor Cheng
Xiaowang
Professor Cheng, what other problems do we need to pay attention to when using monosodium glutamate or chicken essence?
First, if monosodium glutamate or chicken essence is used at a high temperature of more than 100°C, the umami agent monosodium glutamate will be transformed into sodium pyroglutamate, which is a health risk to the human body, and it is not easy to excrete from the body. Since the oil temperature is generally 150~200 °C when stir-frying, sometimes even higher, this will turn monosodium glutamate into sodium pyroglutamate, so MSG or chicken essence should be added when the dish is about to come out of the pot, and the umami is the strongest at this time.
Second, do not add MSG to acidic foods, such as sweet and sour fish, sweet and sour tenderloin, etc. MSG is alkaline, and adding it to acidic foods can cause a chemical reaction that will make the dish taste off.
Third, monosodium glutamate should not be used in raw materials containing alkaline. MSG will synthesize disodium glutamate when it encounters alkali, resulting in ammonia odor, which reduces umami and even loses umami.
Fourth, pay attention to the degree of saltiness. If it is too salty, MSG may not be able to taste umami, so it is advisable to dissolve MSG before adding it when making cold dishes. Because the dissolution temperature of MSG is 85°C, below which it is difficult for MSG to decompose. Essence of chicken contains about 10% salt, so the food should be in the right amount of salt before adding essence of chicken.
Fifth, MSG is no longer needed in soup stocks, chicken, eggs, and aquatic dishes.
Sixth, chicken essence contains nucleotides, and its metabolite is uric acid, so gout patients should reduce their intake in moderation.
Professor Cheng
Xiaowang
There are so many problems that need to be paid attention to! Professor Cheng, can each of us eat MSG and chicken essence?
No. The elderly, pregnant women, infants and young children should not eat more monosodium glutamate and chicken essence. Patients with high blood pressure should not only limit the intake of salt, but also strictly control the intake of monosodium glutamate and chicken essence. Although the mainland has not clearly stipulated the intake standards for MSG and chicken essence, I recommend that the consumption of MSG or chicken essence per person per day should not exceed 6 grams.
Professor Cheng
Xiaowang
Thank you very much for your popular science, everyone hurry up and write it down!
Content Sources:
People's Medical Publishing House published "Safety on the Tip of the Tongue (Volume 3)"
Editor-in-Chief of the book:
Cheng Jingmin, an expert of the National Health Science Popularization Expert Database and a professor of Shanxi Medical University
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