Glutamate adds a special flavor to many foods. As a flavor enhancer in food, glutamate is controversial, many people notice in themselves an intolerance or allergy to the substance. So is glutamate a pleasure or a danger? We have taken a closer look at glutamate.
Glutamate as a flavor enhancer
The stomach growls loudly, but the desire to cook keeps within limits. Fortunately, there are still ready-made soups in the cupboard. Quickly ripped open a bag of Asian noodles, poured boiling water over, stirred and ready. Hmm, tastes really intense and somehow peculiar – simply umami. Umami is the Japanese word for delicious and spicy flavor. In this country, the sonorous flavor enhancer, typical of Asian cuisine, is called glutamate. Glutamate is the fifth flavor, along with sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
What is glutamate?
Glutamate is an endogenous protein building block that also occurs naturally in foods such as tomatoes, cheese, meat and soy. Humans require the substance as a messenger (neurotransmitter) for the transmission of information in the brain. Glutamate occurs bound to proteins in many foods and unbound as free glutamate. Only the free glutamate has a flavor-enhancing effect. The food industry has been taking advantage of the umami effect for over 40 years by using glutamate in the production of ready-to-eat and frozen meals, as well as spice mixtures (such as vegetable broth) and snack foods. This is because the neurotransmitter can intensify the intrinsic flavor of foods such as herbs, vegetables and meat, which is lost during heating or freezing, in the brain. Glutamate is obtained by fermentation from starchy plant products.
Glutamate intolerance
Despite this, some people experience glutamate intolerance or allergy. The flavor enhancer made negative headlines in the 1970s with the so-called “Chinese restaurant syndrome.” At the time, many patrons complained of side effects after eating Chinese dishes, including
- Nausea
- Headache
- Strong palpitations
- Tingling or itching in the throat area
- Feeling of heat
- Dry mouth
Abdominal pain, diarrhea or flatulence after eating food containing glutamate is also occasionally reported.
Allergy to glutamate not proven.
Scientists investigated the possible link between symptoms and glutamate consumption. In a large-scale study, subjects were given foods with and without glutamate without being able to tell the difference. The result corresponds to the assessments of today’s scientists: they could not establish a concrete connection between the complaints and the intake of glutamate. An allergy to glutamate could therefore not be clearly demonstrated. It is suspected that the cause of the frequently described glutamate intolerance lies elsewhere. However, isolated cases of malaise occurred when eating dishes containing large amounts of glutamate on an empty stomach. Incidentally, glutamate has nothing in common with gluten, the gluten protein in grains, to which many people have an allergy.
Glutamate is considered to be harmless
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), glutamate has no harmful effect on the organism. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) also has “no concerns about the occasional use of small amounts of glutamate in the preparation of food.” Due to the scientifically established harmlessness, there is no upper limit for the daily dose of glutamate. However, foods to which glutamate has been added as a flavor enhancer must be labeled accordingly. As an additive in baby food, sodium glutamate is banned in Germany.
Glutamate: side effects and consequences
Those who have no problems with food containing glutamate can continue to eat their soup from the bag without concern. However, the protein building block is also added to low-quality foods. In this way, any nibbles such as potato chips become very tasty and enjoyment more uninhibited. One of the side effects of glutamate is therefore certainly obesity. Nutrition experts therefore recommend high-quality foods such as organic products that are completely free of added glutamate. This also includes fresh herbs and spices.
Glutamate in food
When eating ready-made meals from bags and cans, it comes down to a healthy level. It is therefore worthwhile to study the list of ingredients the next time you go shopping. Glutamate is hidden behind the various names monosodium glutamate, flavor enhancer, seasoning or behind the numbers E 620 to E 625. Organic manufacturers occasionally use the flavor enhancer yeast extract. However, behind the harmless-sounding name yeast extract is also nothing more than weaker concentrated glutamate.
