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0411INFO - Magnificent Molecules.Indd 4 25/05/2011 15:16:21 Magnificent molecules Phillip Broadwith, Chemistry World features editor highlights one of his favourite molecules. In this issue: glutamate When you eat a rich tomato sauce, or a Certain foods are naturally high in But is it bad for you? Glutamate is a natural hearty soup or stew, what makes it taste the glutamate, such as tomatoes, mushrooms, component of proteins, and there is way that it does? Is it slightly salty? Is there cured meats, fish and cheeses like Italian chemically no difference between ‘natural’ a hint of sweetness from the perfectly ripe parmesan or French roquefort. But it is glutamate and that added in the form of tomatoes? A tang of citrus sourness or a note particularly enriched when these foods are industrially produced MSG. There have been of herbal bitterness to add depth, perhaps? cooked slowly for a long time or fermented. various arguments that MSG is bad for us, This is why stocks and broths, or soy even the suggestion of a medical condition All of these things might be present, but the sauce and tomato ketchup are particularly called ‘chinese restaurant syndrome’ or overwhelming taste of such a dish is usually a intensely flavoursome. Ingredients such as ‘MSG symptom complex’ caused by eating luxurious, mouthwatering savouriness, which Asian fish sauces or the quintessentially too much MSG. But the medical evidence is accentuates the impact of all the aromatic British Worcestershire sauce and Marmite unconvincing. Like any chemical, if you eat flavour compounds that are filling your nose yeast extract have especially high levels of large enough amounts, it is not likely to do at the same time as your tongue revels in its glutamate. And even the ancient Romans you much good, but at the levels even the taste sensation. reportedly used a fermented fish sauce most junk-food-hungry among us are likely to called garum to season food and enhance ingest, there is no indication of health risks. But where does that savoury taste come its flavour. from? Traditionally in western cuisine, it was So the next time you are in a restaurant, thought that the tastebuds on our tongues The MSG debate whether you’re grabbing a cheeseburger could distinguish four different tastes – The sodium salt of glutamic acid is called or sitting down to a sumptuous ten sweet, sour, bitter and salt. But in 1908, the monosodium glutamate, or MSG. It was course Michelin-starred tasting menu, Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda identified a developed as a food additive and flavour take a moment to savour the taste. That fifth basic taste, which he called umami, from enhancer following Ikeda’s discovery, and indescribable savouriness that leaves your the Japanese for ‘delicious taste’. quickly gained popularity as a cheap way to mouth watering and your tastebuds begging boost the flavour of food made with lower for more. That’s the umami tingle that Ikeda noticed that the taste of many foods – quality ingredients. comes from glutamate – be it from the finest particularly kombu dashi, a seaweed broth culinary ingredients or straight out of the Takeaway Chinese food in the UK and US popular in Japan – didn’t really fit into the bottle marked MSG. gained a particular reputation for using MSG sweet, sour, bitter, salt categorisation. to enhance flavour. In fact, pretty much any Originally published as part of Chemistry World’s Eventually he discovered the molecule processed fast food is likely to contain added ‘Chemistry in its element’ podcast series at: that was responsible for the seaweed’s MSG, unless it specifically says otherwise. www.chemistryworld.org/compounds palatability – glutamate. Deliciousness Glutamic acid is one of the twenty standard amino acids that make up proteins. Its systematic name is 2-aminopentanedioic acid – a five carbon chain with a carboxylic acid group at either end and an amine (NH2) group attached to the carbon adjacent to one of the acids. When glutamic acid is incorporated into proteins, the side chain that sticks out from the protein backbone is a short three-carbon chain ending in a carboxylic acid. But under the conditions in our mouths, one of the acid groups is normally ionised to make a glutamate anion, and it is this that binds to umami taste receptors on our tongues to produce that delicious savoury sensation. 4 InfoChem 4 InfoChem 0411INFO - Magnificent molecules.indd 4 25/05/2011 15:16:21.
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