Are Labels Hiding MSG?

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http://www.wholefoods.com/healthinfo/msg.html

 

 

 

 

 

Are Labels Hiding MSG?

Are there hidden sources of MSG that are not disclosed on food labels?

Ever since the popular CBS news expose' program, "60 Minutes",

broadcast a report ten years ago exploring hypersensitivity to

monosodium glutamate (MSG), confused, sometimes angry, consumers have

continued to ask for answers to this question. A list of common

questions and answers about MSG are provided below:

 

What Is MSG?

MSG is the sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid and a form of

glutamate. It is sold as a fine white crystal substance, similar in

appearance to salt or sugar. It does not have a distinct taste of its

own, and how it adds flavor to other foods is not fully understood.

Many

scientists believe that MSG stimulates glutamate receptors in the

tongue

to augment meat-like flavors.

Asians originally used a seaweed broth to obtain the

flavor-enhancing

effects of MSG, but today MSG is made by a fermenting process using

starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses.

 

Symptoms of MSG hypersensitivity

Symptoms may include one or more of the following: burning sensation in

the back of the neck, forearms, and chest; numbness in the back of the

neck, radiating to the arms and back; tingling, warmth and weakness in

the face, temples, upper back, neck and arms; facial pressure or

tightness; chest pain; headache; nausea; rapid heartbeat; bronchospasm

(difficulty breathing) in MSG-intolerant people with asthma;

drowsiness; and weakness.

 

MSG hypersensitivity in the United States

Depending on the group providing and interpreting a wide range of old

and new data, hypersensitivity to MSG has been reported to effect 1.8%

to 30% of the population. Between 1980 and 1994, the Adverse Reaction

Monitoring System in FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

(CFSAN) received 622 reports of complaints about MSG. Headache was the

most frequently reported symptom. However, sensitivity specifically to

MSG is extremely difficult to diagnose since reported reactions

occurred anywhere from immediately to many hours later, raising the

uncertainty whether for some people, the reactions could be attributed

to other foods eaten or environmental factors encountered in the

interim.

 

Government MSG Reveiw

In 1959, the FDA classified MSG as a "generally recognized as safe" or

GRAS, substance. Since 1970, they have sponsored extensive reviews on

the safety of MSG, other glutamates and hydrolyzed proteins, as part of

an ongoing review of safety data on GRAS substances used in processed

foods.

In 1986, the FDA's Advisory Committee on Hypersensitivity to

Food

Constituents concluded that MSG poses no threat to the general public

but that reactions of brief duration might occur in some people.

To provide an extensive scientific review of the subject, in

1992 the

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) contracted with an independent group

of scientists, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental

Biology (FASEB). Their report was presented to the FDA on July 31,

1995.The report identifies two groups of people who may develop a

condition the report refers to as "MSG symptom complex." One group

includes those who may be intolerant to MSG when eaten in a large

quantity. The second is a group of people with severe, poorly

controlled asthma. These people, in addition to being prone to MSG

symptom complex, may suffer temporary worsening of asthmatic symptoms

after consuming MSG. The MSG dosage that produced reactions in these

people ranged from 0.5 grams to 2.5 grams.

In otherwise healthy MSG-intolerant people, the MSG symptom

complex

tends to occur within one hour after eating 3 grams or more of MSG on

an

empty stomach or without other food. A typical serving of

glutamate-treated food contains less than 0.5 grams of MSG. A reaction

is most likely if the MSG is eaten in a large quantity or in a liquid,

such as a clear soup.

Other important findings include:

 

 

Severe, poorly controlled asthma may be a predisposing

medical condition for MSG symptom complex.

No

evidence exists to suggest that dietary MSG or glutamate contributes to

Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's chorea, amyotrophic lateral

sclerosis, AIDS dementia complex, or any other long-term or chronic

diseases.

No evidence exists to suggest that dietary MSG causes brain

lesions or damages nerve cells in humans.

The

level of vitamin B6 in a person's body plays a role in glutamate

metabolism, and the possible impact of marginal B6 intake should be

considered in future research.

There is no scientific evidence that the levels of

glutamate in hydrolyzed proteins causes adverse effects or that other

manufactured

glutamate has effects different from glutamate normally found in foods.

 

 

 

What is "glutamate"?

Glutamate is derived from glutamic

acid, a major building block for proteins. It is found naturally in our

bodies and in protein-containing foods, such as cheese, milk, meat,

peas, and mushrooms. MSG is one of several types of glutamate. When

glutamate is released during breakdown of the protein molecule, "free

glutamate" is formed. These substances can be added to food to enhance

its flavor and are the focus of much of the concern about glutamate. It

is only in this free form that glutamate can enhance a food's flavor.

Some foods, such as ripe tomatoes and Parmesan cheese, contain

high

levels of naturally occuring free glutamate. The flavor enhancing

effect of hydrolyzed protein products, including soy sauce, is due to

the presence of free glutamate.

 

What are "hydrolyzed proteins"?

Hydrolyzed proteins, or protein hydrolysates, are prepared by using

food grade acid or enzymes to chemically digest proteins from soy meal,

wheat gluten, corn gluten, edible strains of yeast, or other food

sources. These protein foods are rich sources of glutamate. When

proteins are broken down, bound glutamate is converted into free

glutamate. The level of free glutamate resulting from hydrolysis varies

from product to product, at levels of 5 to 20 percent. Hydrolyzed

proteins can be used in a product as leavening agents, stabilizers (to

impart body or improved consistency, etc.), thickeners, a protein

source, and as a flavor enhancer. When used in a product as a flavoring

agent, hydrolyzed proteins are used in the same manner as MSG in many

foods, such as in canned vegetables, soups, and processed meats.

However, the amount of free glutamate in hydrolyzed proteins is

significantly lower than what occurs in monosodium glutamate.

 

Food labeling rules regarding MSG?

Under current FDA regulations, when MSG is added to a food, it must be

identified as "monosodium glutamate" in the label's ingredient list.

Each ingredient used to make a food must be declared by its name in

this

list.

While technically MSG is only one of several forms of free

glutamate

used in foods, consumers frequently use the term MSG to mean all free

glutamate. For this reason, FDA considers foods whose labels say "No

MSG" or "No Added MSG" to be misleading if the food contains

ingredients

that are sources of free glutamates, such as hydrolyzed protein.

As mandated by the Code of Federal Regulations, 21CFR101.22

Subpart B:

Foods: Labeling of Spices, Flavorings, Colorings, and Chemical

Preservatives, the terms "flavors", "natural flavors", or

"flavorings" may not include MSG, hydrolyzed proteins, and autolyzed

yeast. Each of these must be declared on the label by its common or

usual name rather than hidden within another blanket term.

Therefore, in processed foods containing other ingredients

with

significant levels of free glutamate, such as hydrolyzed proteins,

autolyzed yeast, and soy sauce, manufacturers must declare these

ingredients like any other ingredient on their labels.

Furthermore, since some adverse reactions to hydrolyzed

proteins may be

due to the source used to produce the hydrolysate rather than to

glutamate itself, in May 1993, the FDA amended Part 102 in the Code of

Federal Regulations referring to "Common or Usual Name for

Non-Standardized Foods". In 21CFR102.22 which specifically targets

protein hydrolysates, the ruling states: "The common or usual name of a

protein hydrolysate shall be specific to the ingredient and shall

include the identity of the food source from which the protein was

derived."

Examples of what this would mean on a label include such

sources as:

hydrolyzed wheat gluten, hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast,

hydrolyzed casein. Terms such as hydrolyzed milk protein, hydrolyzed

vegetable protein, or hydrolyzed protein are not acceptable because

they do not identify the food source of the protein. Labels of products

including protein hydrolysates had to be in compliance by May 8, 1994.

Will the FDA ever require that foods high in free glutamate

declare

"glutamate" on the label? Although the FDA considered this in 1993 and

in 1996 asked for public comments on the declaration of free glutamate

in foods, no labeling rule has been proposed since the comment period.

Whether the FDA decides the extra labeling is warranted or not, anyone

who is sensitive to MSG or ingredients that contain significant levels

of free glutamate should read ingredient labels carefully to screen for

ingredients that may cause adverse reactions.