How was monosodium glutamate invented?

1907, Miyuki Ikeda, a researcher at Imperial University in Tokyo, Japan, found that seaweed soup would leave a brown crystal, namely glutamic acid, after evaporation. Then, he applied for a patent for the method of mass production of glutamic acid crystals, and called it sodium glutamate flavor, which was later introduced to China and renamed as "monosodium glutamate".

Monosodium glutamate, the scientific name is sodium glutamate. Its development has roughly three stages:

The first stage: 1866, Dr. H. Ritthasen, a German, separated amino acids from gluten. They call it glutamic acid, which is named glutamic acid or glutamic acid according to different raw materials. From 1908 experiment of chrysanthemum seedlings in Ikeda, University of Tokyo, Japan, L- glutamic acid crystals were isolated from kelp. This crystal is the same substance as L- glutamic acid hydrolyzed by protein, and both of them are delicious.

The second stage: using gluten or soybean meal as raw materials, monosodium glutamate was produced by acid hydrolysis. 1965 was produced by this method before. The advantages of this method are high consumption, high cost, high labor intensity, high requirements for equipment and the need for acid-resistant equipment.

The third stage: with the progress of science and the development of biotechnology, the production of monosodium glutamate has undergone revolutionary changes. Since 1965, all monosodium glutamate factories in China have used grain as raw material to obtain sodium glutamate which meets the national standards through microbial fermentation, extraction and refining, thus adding a safe and nutritious condiment to the market.

Extended data:

1. After the baby eats a lot of monosodium glutamate, the zinc in the blood will be converted into zinc glutamate, which will be excreted from the urine in excess, leading to acute zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency can lead to mental retardation, night blindness, sexual retardation and adult dwarfism.

2. If the nursing mother eats excessive monosodium glutamate, a large amount of glutamic acid will enter the baby through the milk, resulting in zinc deficiency in the baby.

3. After excessive consumption of monosodium glutamate, the content of glutamic acid in human blood will increase, which will hinder the absorption of calcium and magnesium, thus causing short-term symptoms such as headache, heartbeat and nausea, and will also have adverse effects on the reproductive system.

Eating too much monosodium glutamate will make people dependent on monosodium glutamate, and eating food without monosodium glutamate will feel tasteless, which will also hinder the absorption of other nutrients.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-monosodium glutamate