Scientists meeting in Adelaide have confirmed the safety of glutamate as a food ingredient and have reported new evidence to show the importance of glutamate in the body. The latest research was presented at The Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST) Annual Convention 2001. There were twenty-five sessions over the three days with speakers and visitors from Australia and overseas.

The session dedicated to glutamate was entitled 'The future of MSG' and started with an overview of recent research by Mrs Kumiko Ninomiya from the Umami Manufacturers Association of Japan. Mrs Ninomiya reported that in addition to the many studies on flavor profiles and the safety of MSG there have recently been significant discoveries which show the importance of glutamate in the body. This work provides evidence that dietary glutamate is a major energy source for the intestine, accounting for half of the energy consumed during digestion.

Associate Professor John Prescott, from the Sensory Science Research Centre at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, focused on taste. Umami can be described as a unique taste because it is perceived as distinct from other basic tastes. There are glutamate receptors within the tongue's taste buds, and cells within the brain which respond preferentially to the umami taste. Professor Prescott showed that the addition of glutamate to the right foods almost always improves flavor. Recent studies show that even those consumers with negative attitudes towards MSG have a preference for foods containing additional MSG, even when the content was known. Associate Professor Prescott also reported increasing evidence that glutamate may act as an energy source in a similar way to carbohydrates and fats.

Dr Rosalie Woods, Research Fellow from the Department of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine at Monash University asked if there was any evidence behind the press reports that glutamate can provoke asthma. Dr Woods concluded that there was no good evidence for a link. Although Dr Woods said that a link could not be completely ruled out, she said that it was extremely unlikely based on the knowledge that we have today.

The session was attended by sixty-five delegates including several representatives from the media. There was coverage in three newspapers and on nine radio programmes. Much of the reporting focused on naturally occurring glutamate. The fact that there is likely to be more glutamate in an Italian meal than a Chinese meal received good coverage. Dr Wood's research, showing that a link between asthma and MSG was very unlikely was also widely reported. The Adelaide Advertiser reported that the 'Scales tip in favour of MSG'. Other headlines were 'MSG may be harmless' in the Sydney Daily Telegraph and 'No need to go easy on the MSG, thanks' in the Melbourne Herald Sun.