ChemistryFoodScienceSkepticism

Amuse-Bouche: MSG + Umami Burgers


The food additive known as MSG has long been associated with “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome,” a blanket term that describes negative reactions people claim to experience after eating American-Asian take-out, symptoms ranging from headaches, burning sensations, and nausea to chest pain, numbness, and drowsiness.

As a result, signs such as the one pictured at the top of this post can be seen in the windows of most Asian restaurants, and similar labels can be found on many Asia food products in the grocery store.

What is MSG, and does it deserve to be so maligned?

A Little Background

For millenia, the Japanese have been using kombu, a type of seaweed, to flavor soups. In 1908, Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda found that the crystals that form on the surface of dried kombu leaves are a rich source of monosodium glutamate, or MSG. He also identified the unique, savory taste sensation that MSG provides and called it umami, which loosely translates to “delicious” in Japanese (and we have taste receptors on our tongues specifically adapted to perceiving this taste).

The amino acid glutamate, found in many high-protein foods, is responsible for the umami taste sensation. Foods rich in glutamates include parmesan, mushrooms, ripe tomatoes, dry-aged beef, and ocean fish.

The Japanese company Ajinomoto began selling MSG as a seasoning in 1909, extracting it from wheat gluten proteins; these days, commercial MSG is produced using bacteria. In the United States, MSG must be listed as a separate ingredient on food products, but other sources of free glutamates can be included under the “natural flavorings” umbrella and in foods that claim “No MSG.”

When added to food, MSG boosts the umami charateristics of a dish without otherwise changing the flavor, making the taste richer and more savory. I tried some MSG on its own (just a few grains, and even that was a bit much); its taste is definitely not the same as salt, and it’s difficult to describe beyond “savory.” A little goes a long way.

Is MSG safe?

The term “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” was coined in 1968 by Robert Ho Man Kwak who described unpleasant symptoms he felt after eating Chinese food and posited the cause to be either the wine used in cooking, the large amount of sodium contained in the dishes, or the use of MSG seasoning. However, only the latter hypothesis was ever investigated, and the association stuck despite repeated failure by researchers to demonstrate a legitimate association under rigorously controlled conditions.

For example, in a study from 1993, only one participant out of 71 had a reaction, and that individual–who self-identified as sensitive to MSG–was in the placebo group. In other studies, large doses of MSG given without food ellicited more responses than did a placebo, but these responses were infrequent and not reproducible. A report commissioned by the FDA in 1995 stated that an unknown percentage of the population may react to MSG when consuming more than 3 grams without food–but these reactions were varied and non-specific, based on anecdotal reports, and that quantity of MSG consumption is not realistically reproducible in a restaurant environment. Numerous government agencies have repeatedly determined that MSG is safe for human consumption. Tests exploring potential links between MSG and obesity or neurological disorders has so far been inconclusive.

In summary, while it is possible that consuming MSG is bad for a small percentage of the population, the quantity found in food is not enough to cause harm, and even people who claim to react negatively to MSG do not necessarily do so under the conditions of a controlled study. Note: Because it is sometimes derived from wheat, MSG is on the list of foods celiac patients should avoid.

Cooking with MSG and Umami-Rich Foods

Okay, so it doesn’t seem like there are any good reasons NOT to eat MSG. But does that mean it’s worth eating? Without question, umami is a delicious quality for a food to have, but it doesn’t have to come from MSG. How does commercially-produced MSG stand up to naturally-derived glutamates, like those found in tomatoes, cheese, and meat?

To test this out, I decided to make some hamburgers. I found a recipe for umami burgers that uses fish sauce to add depth of flavor. Fish sauce contains fermented anchovy extract, salt, and sugar, and is ubiquitous in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Despite its contents, when used as a seasoning it does not impart an overly fishy taste.

I made three hamburger patties according to the umami burger recipe, using the exact same quantity of ground beef, black pepper, sugar, and garlic but changing the source of sodium. The first burger contained 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, the second a 1/4 teaspoon of MSG (the recomended amount to use per half-pound of meat), and the third a 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (this was the control):

 I cooked each burger for three minutes per side on high heat and served them on buns without condiments. My husband Andrew participated in the taste test with me: I labeled the burgers A, B, and C but did not tell him which was which. Then I went in the other room while he changed the order and labeled them 1, 2, and 3 so that we could connect them to the A, B, C labels, then brought the burgers in to me–so, neither of us knew which burger contained which ingredient.

We then tasted them, cleansing our palates with water between samples, and a) tried to guess which burger contained which ingredient and b) determine which burger we liked best.

 

 

I identified the salt burger correctly; it was the least interesting of the three. However, I mixed up the MSG and fish sauce burgers, and Andrew mixed up all three. We both liked the fish sauce burger best, which surprised Andrew because he doesn’t like fishy things. I enjoyed the MSG burger more than the salt burger, but it wasn’t as enjoyable as the fish sauce burger.

Harold McGee writes, “the most unfortunate aspect of the MSG saga is how it has been exploited to provide a cheap, one-dimensional substitute for real and remarkable foods.” After trying the different burgers, I’m inclined to agree. There is nothing wrong with adding a pinch of MSG to punch up the flavor in a dish, but it won’t make up for bland food. As it says right on the bottle, MSG is merely the  “Essence of Umami.” Try fish sauce, soy sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes, or Parmesan for a richer experience.

Sources

On Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee

http://www.msginfo.com/index.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamic_acid_(flavor)#Chinese_restaurant_syndrome

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/336440

 

An “amuse-bouche” (which literally translates to “mouth-amuser”) is a complimentary morsel to start the meal, a tasty little gift from the chef. We hope you enjoy these edible tidbits.

Anne S

Anne Sauer is an atheist with an appetite for science, good food, and making connections between the two. She is currently pursuing her MBA in Sustainable Management at Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco. Her favorite foods are salted caramel ice cream and chicken tikka masala. You can find her on twitter @aynsavoy.

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6 Comments

  1. Great post! I suddenly have the urge to go out and get a bottle. Having grown up with my mother using MSG in cooking (to me it was always “That weird salt that tastes terrible on its own”) I usually end up having to put down fears that it’s poison every other day.

    Soup stock is another great source of umami flavor. Something about that slow cooking draws it out of vegetables and bones.

  2. Thanks, Maki!

    Soup stock was actually one of the foods most recommended for adding a pinch of MSG to, to make it taste even more chicken-y, or whatever.

    Something I found interesting but didn’t end up including is the science of why dry-aged meat has more umami. From a Harold McGee article:

    “What happens is that enzymes in the meat’s muscle cells begin to break down the meat’s proteins, fats, and glycogen—a carbohydrate—into amino acids, fatty acids, and sugars. One amino acid generated by dry-aging—the most important and flavorful one, in fact—is glutamate, which is part of MSG.”

    http://gizmodo.com/5866754/the-science-of-taste-or-why-dry+aged-meat-is-so-damned-delicious

  3. Great article. I realized while reading this that I harbor what I now see is a false notion that “msg is bad” without any information. I didn’t know any of the info in this article … not even that msg was supposed to be umami related.

    And yet, I have this big container of Goya seasoning in my spice cabinet which I never use, mostly because it’s about 50% MSG.

    I’m making adobo chicken tonight, and using my new found old spice! (By which I do not mean Old Spice, which would not enhance my chicken.)

  4. Thanks, @a.real.girl–your comment made my day. This is why I do this!

    Regarding your assumption, my theory is that we’ve been trained to have a negative association with chemical names (this is how Penn&Teller could get people to sign a petition banning dihydrogen monoxide), enforced by the signs you see in the windows of Asian restaurants saying “No MSG!” Anyone who didn’t have more information would be reasonable to assume that it’s something you don’t want in your food based on the fervency of those signs.

    Enjoy your MSG-filled, deodorant-free adobo chicken!

  5. I’m quite a bit late to this party but I came across this post after reading the original Umami Burger post. Your blind test is fascinating! I have a feeling I’ll be loving these Umami burgers…

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