A great discussion and debate on Aji-no-moto - MSG
Usage of Ajinomoto has been the topic of great discussion and debate. There are two prevalent schools of thought. One group supports the use of Ajinomoto, as they believe it is a safe ingredient to use just like salt or sugar. There is another group, which is against the use of Ajinomoto, as they believe that it is not safe and causes severe health problems. There are several aspects to this whole debate right from the definition of glutamate to misconceptions to approvals plus a host of related aspects. The History of Aji-no-moto - MSG Asians had originally used the “kombu” seaweed’s broth as a flavor enhancer, without understanding that glutamic acid was its flavor-enhancing component. In 1908, a multi-million-dollar industry was born when Professor Kikunae Ikeda of the University of Tokyo isolated monosodium glutamate using kombu. He noted that the Glutamate had a distinctive taste, different from sweet, sour, bitter and salty; he gave this taste the name “umami”. Umami, translates...