Agino moto(Testing powder)

Ajinomoto is a Japanese brand name for MSG, monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer. Ac'cent is the primary U.S. brand name, and the Chinese version is called ve-tsin. MSG has very little flavor of its own, but it 'improves' or enhances the flavor of other foods it is used with. Some individuals seem to be sensitive to MSG, and exhibit what is known as 'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome' (because of its use in Asian cooking). The symptoms include headaches, chest pains, facial pressure, burning sensations, and sweating. The FDA continues to list it as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe), but all foods containing MSG must state so on the label. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a food additive often used as a ‘flavour enhancer' in fast food, snack foods, tinned and frozen food. Glutamate is an amino acid - one of the building blocks of the proteins found in all our cells and all the food we eat. When glutamate is not incorporated into proteins, it is known as free glutamate, and in this state it has some interesting properties. For one, it is responsible for the unique taste known as ‘umami', which roughly translates from Japanese as ‘savoury'. The umami taste was first described in 1909 by a Japanese scientist, who isolated glutamate as the source of the unique taste, from dried seaweed. Dried seaweed has the umami taste because it is naturally high in glutamate, along with other foods including parmesan cheese, dried mushrooms and ripe tomatoes. The idea of using glutamate as a food seasoning was born, and to make it convenient to use, it was manufactured as a stable white powder - monosodium glutamate. This powder is sold under names including ‘Ajinomoto', Ac'cent' and ‘Gourmet Powder' - you can find it in Chinese supermarkets in the UK. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that adding MSG powder to something like soup improves the taste and texture - when compared to an identical soup without added glutamate. MSG is therefore an easy and convenient way to improve the flavour of any food, and is used a lot in processed food. The glutamate added to foods may go under a different name, however. Added glutamate may be described as E621, glutamic acid, autolysed yeast extract or sodium caseinate, for example. MSG may also be included under vague descriptions such as ‘seasonings' or ‘hydrolysed protein'. The yeast extract in Marmite contains high levels of glutamate. The potential ill-effects caused by MSG were first described in a medical journal as ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome'. Symptoms including numbness and palpitations were reported shortly after visiting a Chinese restaurant. Such claims have never been specifically linked to MSG however, and could be due to common allergies to ingredients like peanuts and shellfish. MSG has been linked to many conditions including migraines, asthma, depression and Alzheimer's, but has never been isolated as a cause. Huge amounts of MSG have been fed to humans without causing ill-effects, and MSG is considered a safe additive by every government which tests these things. Feeding excess glutamate to rats has caused some problems, including retinal damage, but only after feeding them massive amounts of MSG, much more than would ever be consumed by a human. An ‘international team of experts' met in early 2007 to review the current knowledge of MSG safety, and concluded that MSG was ‘harmless for the whole population' (Consensus Meeting on monosodium glutamate, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition). They agreed that there was no new evidence (since their last meeting in 1997) that certain individuals reacted badly to MSG. Glutamate is an important chemical in the brain, and there is the potential for neurological effects if very high levels of glutamate reached the brain. However, the ‘blood-brain' barrier effectively prevents this, and problems in rats have only occurred if massive amounts of MSG are given. The group did comment that people with some illnesses have a compromised blood-brain barrier, and the effect of this on brain glutamate levels is unknown. All the evidence suggests that consuming normal amounts of added glutamate cause no ill-effects. However, it is possible that certain people could be particularly sensitive to glutamate, and if problems are linked to MSG-containing foods they may want to cut their intake of these foods. Many people don't like the idea of MSG being added to their food, as it may be used to cover up poor ingredients, and it may stimulate the appetite. It is not clear whether any appetite-stimulating effect is actually due to effects on the ‘appetite centre' of the brain, or whether MSG increases appetite because it makes food taste better. MSG has been proposed as a good way of encouraging elderly people to eat when they have lost their appetite. Adding glutamate may also have health benefits, as it reduces the need for added salt. According to the chef Heston Blumenthal, the umami taste adds ‘depth and strength' top the flavour of a dish. However, you can easily ‘add umami' to a dish by adding glutamate-rich ingredients such as parmesan cheese or soy sauce, rather than MSG powder.

Ajinomoto is not a tasting powder, it is a taste enhancer. It is a brand name and its main ingredient is monosodium glutamate, also referred to as MSG. Using it does make a big difference to the food. Many cooks use it to make their food taste delicious. The main company refuted the side effects of consuming monosodium glutamate. I found two side effects. The first is a raised blood pressure (hypertension) and associated ailments. They include headaches. The second is premature greying. This even happened to my four year son and I stopped him from consuming fast foods. It seems that the side effects do not affect people in the same way or severity. all the best, rosdimy

I know that using MSG or Mono Sodium Glutamate is not good for the body. But when we were kids, my mother used to put msg in every dishes she cook. How will we warn her? that time we were just kids. I just came to know that when we were old enough, but that didn't stop my mom from using it, i know till now she is still using Aji no moto. Glad that God helped us to stay healthy, we haven't got any obesity problem just like what the the test is saying that using MSG or Crystallized vegetable protein claims.