Monosodium glutamate is a kind of seasoning, and its main component is sodium glutamate. The main function of monosodium glutamate is to increase the flavor of food. It is most used in Chinese food and can also be used in soups and sauces.
Sodium glutamate (C5H8NO4Na), also known as sodium glutamate. Glutamate is a kind of amino acid and the final decomposition product of protein. Sodium glutamate is a sodium salt of amino acids. It is a colorless and odorless crystal that disintegrates and melts at 232 C. The water solubility of sodium glutamate is very good, and the solubility at 20℃ is 74g.
Scientists have proved that when monosodium glutamate is heated at 100℃ for half an hour, only 0.3% of sodium glutamate generates sodium pyroglutamate, which has little effect on human body. It is reported in literature that sodium pyroglutamate is harmless to human body. In alkaline environment, monosodium glutamate will react chemically to produce a substance called disodium glutamate, so it should be used and stored properly.
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A brief history of the discovery of monosodium glutamate
Although monosodium glutamate is widely found in daily food, the role of glutamic acid and other amino acids in enhancing the flavor of food was only scientifically recognized in the early 20th century.
1907, a researcher at Imperial University in Tokyo, Japan, found that kelp soup would leave a brown crystal, namely glutamic acid, after evaporation. Then, he applied for a patent for the method of mass production of glutamic acid crystals, and called sodium glutamate the essence of flavor.
Later, it was introduced to China and renamed as "monosodium glutamate". Soon, monosodium glutamate became popular all over the world and became an indispensable condiment for people. Later, a young man named Wu Yunchu repeatedly found that monosodium glutamate is sodium glutamate, which was extracted from the plant protein by German Dr. Reed Hausen as early as 1866.
Monosodium glutamate, the scientific name is sodium glutamate. Its development has roughly three stages:
The first stage: 1866 Dr. H. Ritthasen, a German, separated amino acids from gluten. They called them glutamic acid, which was named as glutamic acid or glutamic acid according to the raw materials (because gluten was extracted from wheat).
The second stage: Gluten or soybean meal was used as raw material to produce monosodium glutamate by acid hydrolysis, which was produced by this method before 1965. This method has the advantages of high consumption, high cost, high labor intensity and high requirements for equipment, which requires acid-resistant equipment.
The third stage: with the progress of science and the development of biotechnology, the production of monosodium glutamate has undergone revolutionary changes. Since 1965, all monosodium glutamate factories in China have used grain as raw material to obtain sodium glutamate which meets the national standards through microbial fermentation, extraction and refining, adding a safe and nutritious condiment to the market, and making dishes more delicious after using it.
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