Improving Taste

Monosodium glutamate is used in a wide range of savory foods to create a smooth, rich and full-bodied flavor. It can be added to meat, fish, poultry, vegetable and seafood dishes, and in many countries it is used as a table-top seasoning. In Central Europe, for example, monosodium glutamate forms the basis of a popular salad seasoning.

Glutamate in Soup

Like salt, glutamate can make a variety of foods more appealing, but is not itself particularly palatable. If you dissolve monosodium glutamate in water, it does not have an appealing taste. However, when it is added to soup, it improves many aspects, including taste, mouthfeel and smoothness. In one study, a group of young Americans said that a chicken soup with a small amount of monosodium glutamate was richer, more savory and meatier than the same soup without MSG.

Palatability and the umami Taste

The effect of adding the umami taste to foods has been investigated by researchers since the 1950s. The taste of meat dishes, fish and vegetables is usually improved, but cereals, milk products and desserts are not. MSG is added to prepared and processed foods such as frozen foods, spice mixes, canned and dry soups, sauces, dressings and meat-based products such as sausages and hams.

Glutamate is Self-Limiting

The amount of glutamate used in foods is usually within the range of 0.1% and 0.8 % of the food as it is served. This is similar to levels of naturally occurring glutamate found in traditional dishes. The taste of MSG is self-limiting. This means that once the appropriate amount has been included in a recipe, adding more contributes little, if anything at all, to food flavor. In fact, adding too much MSG can result in a worse taste. Here are two graphs that show the optimum level of MSG in a clear soup is 0.3% and the optimum level with fried rice is 0.37%:

MSG, like salt, is self-limiting. Here are two graphs which show similar results for salt in clear soup and in scrambled eggs:

Taste is complex Think about the taste of a tomato. Almost no one can identify the taste of umami in tomatoes, but umami is one of several important components. When combined with the sweet and sour notes and a little earthy flavor, umami gives tomatoes their delicious taste. As a tomato ripens, the natural content of glutamate increases and the tomato becomes more tasty. Similarly, as cheese matures, there is a significant increase in glutamate which contributes to the taste. For example, the bouillon-like taste is an indispensable component of Emmental cheese. There is also a large increase in the glutamate content of ham as it is cured.