FROM THE· DESK OF
I
VIRGINIA CHANDLER
Contact Karen Rini - Great Western Sugar
893-4300
She can furnish you with more of the
MSG brochures if you need them.
-·
hat
is
MSG?
Today smart cooks know there are three basic flavoring components used in pre-paring tasty foods ... the seasonings, salt and pepper. And nature's own treasured flavor
enhancer, MSG.
Great Western MSG is 99%+ pure
mono-sodium glutamate crystals. Monomono-sodium glutamate is a sodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid found in most foods in their natural state.
SG's
fascinating
function.
MSG is not a chemical additive. It is a natural food component with the unique function of reviving and enhancing natural flavors of food that may be lost in transit from field or production center to the restaurant and family dinner table.
When foods are picked, packed, processed and prepared they lose much of this delicate natural substance. It has been estimated that within 24 hours after harvesting, fresh foods may lose a great deal of their natural glutamate content. Up to 50% loss in some vegetables has been observed. By adding
Great Western MSG to foods during and/or following cooking, today's cook can revive much of the natural, full fresh flavor. Consid-ering what great distances foods travel to market today, it is little wonder that smart cooks and lovers of good food treasure Great Western MSG.
Some of the information in this brochure was derived from the International Glutamate Technical Committee.
SG's
fascinating
history.
The story behind these little crystals of MSG goes back over 2000 years ago to the ancient Orient. Then as now, monosodium glutamate was used to improve the flavor of the basic Oriental diet of rice and fish. For centuries, Oriental chefs made a cooking stock from a large Pacific Ocean seaweed,
Laminaria japanica.
They dried the long palm-like leaves, chopped them and slowly simmered them in water. The dishes they prepared from foods cooked in the seaweed stock achieved a remarkably full flavor. The Oriental chefs didn't know that the seaweed contained generous amounts of natural glutamate, with unique flavor-imparting power. It was a German scientist, H.J. Ritthausen, who first isolated glutamic acid as a pure substance in 1866. Although he knew its chemical composition, he didn't know its value in flavoring food.
In 1908, Professor Kikunae Ikeda of the Imperial University of Tokyo bridged the gap between chemistry and cookery. He began experimenting with the dried seaweed used for so many centuries in his country's cuisine. He isolated the glutamate it con-tained and continued experimenting with it. The benefits of glutamate so impressed Ikeda, that commercial companies were organized in Japan to produce monosodium glutamate. Soon millions of pounds of glutamate were being produced all over the Orient. The Japanese and Chinese
n
America,
it's the
sugar beet!
In America, the sugar beet became the
best source to tap for monosodium gluta-mate. And Great Western, the largest producer of beet sugar in the United States,
has been manufacturing MSG from sugar beets for 20 years.
lutamate
comes in two
forms.
Glutamate is present naturally in foods, either as one of the amino acids, or "building blocks" of which protein is made, or it may be present in "free" form. The "free" form is in addition to the glutamate that occurs as a component of protein. It is only the "free" glutamate that is effective in enhancing the flavor of food.
SG
in the
human body.
· ~I
Monosodium glutamate is also found in the human body. Man's body is a complex system that constantly manufactures sub-stances to further its functioning and well
-being. Glutamate is one of these substances. The body produces it in many tissues and as a part of the digestive process. Glutamate in the human body is derived from food ingested, and from synthesis directly by the organs and tissues.
SGin
foods.
MSG and other soluble salts of glutamic acid are present intrinsically in food, starting with mother's milk, which is considerably richer in the substance than cow's milk.
A month old infant weighing about 8 pounds and consuming 3.5 ounces of mother's milk six times a day, has an intake of about
1.5 grams(¼) teaspoon total glutamate
and about 150 milligrams "free" glutamate.
Why are mushrooms and tomatoes used widely for their flavoring power? Because
they contain much inherent free glutamate.
The following table of popular American foods shows there is a natural intake of glutamate in "free" form in a typical dinner menu.
Food
Tomato Juice Roast Beef with
mount of total
and free glutamate
in a roast beef
dinner.
Typical Total Free
Serving Glutamate Glutamate (grams) (grams) (grams)
150
0.357
0
.
210
150
4
.
269
0
.
050
Mushroom Gravy50
0
.
130
0
.
090
Baked Potato120
0
.
240
0
.
122
with Sour Cream10
0
.
082
0
.
001
Peas
&
Carrots120
3.481
0
.
198
Apple Pie
120
(insig.)0
.
180
with
Cheese
30
1
.
436
0
.
180
Coffee
180
0
0
Total in grams
930
9
.
995
1
.
031
From the International Glutamate Technical Committee
ow does
GWmake
MSG'?
MSG is made starting with a natural food substance, the sugar beet. GW extracts and crystallizes MSG from molasses like by-products of sugar refining. What emerges is a fine pure white crystal much like table salt or sugar in appearance. Unlike salt or sugar, however, MSG does not impart a strong distinctive flavor because it has prac-tically no flavor of its own. It merely points up the flavor of food.
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Filtrate to Crude Evap Caustic Soda Sulfuric Acid Caustic Soda Drier& Pack-agmgMonosodium glutamate is found in most foods in their natural state. All Great Western MSG is extracted from nature's own sugar beets.
ow does
MSG
perform'?
The physiology of taste is not completely
understood. Neither do researchers
under-stand fully the way in which MSG acts to
restore and enhance food flavors. It is a
complex matter. However, one way in which
MSG may be useful in preparing today's
foods is by replacing a portion of the
gluta-mate initially present but that is lost with
the lapse of time and the processing of the
food.
hat happens
to MSG
in the body'?
Three basic components common to food
are fat, carbohydrate and protein. In most
foods, 14 to 17% is protein of which
approxi-mately 20% is glutamic acid. The glutamate
added to food during preparation or when it
is served acidifies to glutamic acid when
it reaches the digestive juices of the stomach.
The glutamic acid derived from glutamate
added in food preparation is indistinguish-able from the glutamic acid derived from
the "free" glutamate naturally present in
food. It is no different from the glutamic
acid liberated by the digestion of food
protein. On digestion, glutamate enters
the normal biochemical pathways by which
energy and other body components such
as fats, sugars and other protein are
owto
use
MSG.
MSG is recommended for use with most protein-based foods such as meat, poultry,
fish, casseroles, gravies, soups, stews and
sauces. It is also used on vegetables, salads
and salad dressings. It should not be used
on fruits. Neither should it be added by the
housewife to highly cured meats such as
ham or sausage, as sufficient MSG is added to these products during processing.
MSG also helps bring out the natural sweet flavor of wheat, corn, oatmeal and rice. Many good cooks use just a little in such foods as biscuits, whole wheat bread and muffins, and cooked cereal. MSG is a real flavor reviver for left-over dishes, tool
ow much
MSG to use
and when
Great Western MSG is simple to use, and easy to keep on hand. Just keep the container handy along with your salt and pepper shakers. Like salt, MSG must be used according to individual tastes. You'll find about 1/2 teaspoon of MSG is right for most six-portion recipes, or 1/2 teaspoon per pound of food, such as meat. Or you can add as much of MSG as you use of salt. You may prefer to use 1 1/2 teaspoons in a beef dish, but the same recipe made with lamb requires less MSG. As in all good cooking the old law of seasoning and tasting is the best to follow.
Here are some general guidelines: Ground meats:
Mix in 1 teaspoon per pound before cooking. Roasts:
1/2 teaspoon per pound before roasting. Sprinkle more on the cut slices when serving, if desired.
Pot Roasts, Stews, Swiss Steak:
1 teaspoon per pound before cooking.
Fish, Seafood:
1 teaspoon per pound before cooking. Poultry:
1/2 teaspoon per pound before cooking. Frying, Baking:
Add to stuffing or shake on surface before
cooking.
-Roasting:
Sprinkle on skin and inside cavity. Mix in stuffing.
Vegetables:
After cooking-1 teaspoon per 4-6 servings. Salads, Sauces, Soups:
1 teaspoon per 4-6 servings. Dips, Spreads:
1 teaspoon per pint.
MSG improves your food product!
Whether you are engaged in food processing, or whether you are a chef serving restaurant patrons, or a home-maker preparing daily meals for your family, regular use of Great Western MSG will give you a better, more flavorful food product. Some of the best known and respected names in the food industry use Great Western MSG to enhance the natural flavors of their products. You're in good company
sMSG
safe to use?
Knowledgeable consumers today can be assured that using MSG to enhance the
flavor of foods is safe. MSG is found naturally
in foods and in the human body. Use of
MSG at the table and in cooking replaces a component that Nature put in food in the first
place.
Glutamate has been subjected to the extensive research required by government agencies on food additives. This research has included detailed investigations
involving a wide variety of laboratory and
domestic animals, as well as man. A sub
-stantial majority of the research reports
support the safety of glutamate at appli-cation levels and rates now used by the food industry and the consumer in food
preparation.
Because of its worldwide usage, standards
on the food use of glutamate have been established by national and international
regulatory groups. MSG was originally
considered an artificial flavorer. The United States Food and Drug Administration 25 years ago changed this designation and now regards MSG as a flavor enhancer. Additionally, MSG was classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
some years ago-along with salt, pepper
and sugar. These two classifications (GRAS and "regulated") cover most food components and additives in the U.S.
sMSG
essential
in the diet?
The human body itself is capable of
pro-ducing glutamic acid. Therefore, glutamate
is among the amino acids which have been classified as "non-essential" to humans -that is, it is not necessary that they be included in the diet. Non-essential amino acids, however, do provide two important
benefits to man's well-being. They provide
important sources of nitrogen, and act to supplement or to conserve the essential amino acids whose supply could otherwise
be depleted.
~
SG's valuable
contribution
to the diet.
How little nutrition man would ever gain
if he didn't find his food palatable, a delight
to his taste and other senses. And a
satis-faction to his appetite. This is where Great
Western MSG makes its most valuable contribution in the preparation and serving
