MSG and chicken essence are the two condiments that we eat the most in our life. "monosodium glutamate" has always had various "scandals"; Some people say that eating monosodium glutamate often causes cancer, and some people say that monosodium glutamate is a chemical synthetic product; About monosodium glutamate, is it harmful to eat it often? Eating monosodium glutamate, there are some things that still need to be specifically understood. Let me analyze it for you.
First, in fact, monosodium glutamate (chicken essence) is not "terrible":
Monosodium glutamate and chicken essence (the main raw material of chicken essence is monosodium glutamate) are actually "sodium glutamate" in terms of composition. The main way of producing monosodium glutamate is "bacterial fermentation", which is similar to yogurt, vinegar and wine that we often eat. There is no so-called "artificial chemical synthesis" in the whole manufacturing process.
Second, eating monosodium glutamate can cause cancer?
The biggest rumor about monosodium glutamate is that it will cause cancer if eaten. Some people say that it causes cancer because it contains sodium glutamate, but in fact, many foods contain "sodium glutamate", such as grape juice, peas, tomato sauce and so on. Therefore, "sodium glutamate" will not cause cancer, please treat it scientifically.
There is also a saying that monosodium glutamate will produce "sodium pyroglutamate" after heating, which will cause cancer in the body. But in fact, although the cooking temperature is above 120 degrees Celsius, it may indeed be converted into sodium pyroglutamate; However, there is no so-called "carcinogenic" harm to the substance "sodium pyroglutamate", and its biggest problem is that it has no umami flavor.
In other words, from a health point of view, we always recommend that you add monosodium glutamate when cooking. At this time, adding monosodium glutamate will not have such a high temperature at all, so we can safely eat it.
In addition, in fact, organizations in various countries have also done a lot of evaluation and research on the safety of monosodium glutamate. According to the latest evaluation results of Joint Expert Group on Food Additives (JECFA) of FAO and WHO, it is proved that there is no safety problem in monosodium glutamate, so there is no limit on the amount of monosodium glutamate added in food.
Speaking of this, there is no problem with the safety of monosodium glutamate, and it can be safely eaten; However, monosodium glutamate contains "sodium ions" after all. If ingested with salt, it will inevitably increase the intake of sodium ions and increase the risk of hypertension, calcium deficiency and gastric cancer.
Third, the use of monosodium glutamate should also be controlled.
The essence of monosodium glutamate is still a sodium salt. Although monosodium glutamate is two-thirds less than salt under the same weight, if it is added too much, there is also the risk of excessive sodium intake. At present, we generally consume too much sodium, so we should control the amount of monosodium glutamate like salt. In addition, it should be noted that never add monosodium glutamate after adding enough salt, which will increase the intake of sodium. The intake of monosodium glutamate per person per day should not exceed 6 grams. Excessive intake will increase the content of glutamic acid in blood, limit the utilization of calcium and magnesium, and may cause short-term symptoms such as headache, palpitation and nausea.
Just add msg in moderation at ordinary times. If it's really for umami, it's highly recommended. Perhaps there will still be many people who will say that although there is nothing wrong with MSG, they will not choose to use MSG. Unfortunately, not buying MSG does not mean that you have never eaten MSG. Seasoning in daily life has never left monosodium glutamate.
Fourth, daily condiments cannot be separated from monosodium glutamate.
Judging from the chicken essence selected by many people in the market, the essence is monosodium glutamate, and the first ingredient list is "monosodium glutamate". As long as the words "sodium glutamate" or "monosodium glutamate" appear in the ingredient list, monosodium glutamate has actually been added to this product.
Even in some seasonings unrelated to umami flavor, monosodium glutamate (MSG) will be added, such as oyster sauce, cooking wine and even vinegar. Among all kinds of sauces, monosodium glutamate is widely used. Our life is inseparable from monosodium glutamate. Even if you don't use monosodium glutamate at all, it will still exist in our various seasonings. After all, monosodium glutamate is quite safe. Eat at ease, just control the amount.
Five, healthy consumption of monosodium glutamate, there are some things we need to know, some dishes are not recommended to use (add) monosodium glutamate:
1, dishes with "sugar":
For monosodium glutamate, it is generally "salty but not sweet"; With proper sodium ion, the salty taste of monosodium glutamate will be highlighted. If you make beets, it is not recommended to add monosodium glutamate. Adding monosodium glutamate to sweet ingredients will not only enhance freshness, but also inhibit sweetness.
2. Ingredients added with "vinegar":
Suppose you add vinegar to your dish. If you add monosodium glutamate, it is easy to produce "disodium glutamate", which is easy to produce a strange sour taste.
3. Bring your own umami dishes:
If it is a "meat dish", the meat itself contains sodium glutamate; If the ingredients contain mushrooms, eggs and other foods, it will also reflect the umami flavor. When cooking such dishes, it is suggested to refuse to add monosodium glutamate, so as not to affect the taste.
In our life, there are always rumors about monosodium glutamate, and the theory that monosodium glutamate causes cancer is actually unreliable. We can buy more and more flavor agents in the market, and the flavor will be more natural and rich. After all, monosodium glutamate is quite safe. Eat at ease, just control the amount.