Can reduce sugar and salt intake, MSG is considered healthy if consumed in moderation

VIVA Lifestyle – For some people, cooking without adding Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) will taste bland and less delicious. But did you know about glutamate? Glutamate is a natural ingredient that can make food more delicious. Therefore, it is still chosen as a food flavoring. Proper use can improve the taste of food.

Chairman of the Indonesian Monosodium Glutamate and Glutamic Acid Factory Association (P2MI), Satria Gentur Pinandita, explained that MSG has been categorized as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) in America.

"This means that it is generally recognized as safe if consumed in moderation. Apart from that, it has also received approval from JECFA for its use in moderation. BPOM, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia has also stated that MSG should be used in moderation," emphasized Satria in his statement, quoted on Friday 6 October 2023.

Natural glutamate can be found in many food ingredients, such as soy sauce, shrimp paste, seaweed, sugar cane, jengkol and certain vegetables such as tomatoes, mushrooms and others. In fact, this substance is found naturally in the human body, such as breast milk (ASI). People know glutamate as a flavoring ingredient in MSG (Monosodium Glutamate).

What is MSG? MSG is a fermentation product. The fermentation process of molasses uses microorganisms, then continues with the isolation and purification process. The result is MSG with a purity of >99 percent. MSG can provide an umami (savory) taste, especially in soupy dishes, reduce the "unpleasant" taste in dishes and reduce the use of table salt in cooking so that it is healthier.

Based on Minister of Health Regulation No. 033 of 2012, in sufficient quantities, MSG has been designated as the safest flavor enhancing food and is permitted for consumption. WHO also determines that the daily intake of MSG that can be accepted by the human body is 0-12mg/KgBB. All MSG products in Indonesia are processed by fermentation from natural ingredients (sugar cane molasses).

Irvan Kartawiria and Harry Nazarudin, culinary chemists from the Kimisutra forum provided technical knowledge related to the chemistry of glutamate which was presented in the form of a healthy cooking demonstration guided by a chef who also has an educational background as a pharmacist, Chef Tia (Agustiah).

"The public needs to understand more about the function of glutamate in cooking so that they do not bias information and get trapped in perceptions that are not necessarily true," explained Irvan in the Healthy Cooking with Glutamate event.

"In terms of taste, the use of Glutamate can shift from a complement to a necessity. When the quality of the food is good, the natural glutamate content is quite high, the use of additional Glutamate may not make much of a difference to the taste of the food. But when the quality of the food is reduced, the addition of glutamate is necessary to improve the taste. cooking," said Chef Tia.

"From a health perspective, if used in reasonable amounts by understanding the function and benefits of glutamate in food, its use can help reduce sugar and salt in cooking, thus having the potential to maintain health in the long term," he added.

Being in the same place, Chef Sisca Soewitomo said, this increases knowledge so that we don't misinterpret MSG, then its use in cooking.

"So, we are getting clearer (understanding)," he said.

"This is a good event, so that we know more about what MSG is," said Chef William Wongso.

"I have learned a lot about Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)," explained Chef Bara Pattiradjawane.

Bambang Britono, Chairman of Fermenusa, also said that he was increasingly convinced that Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) products were healthy and not dangerous.

This article was published on VIVA.co.id on Friday, October 6 2023 - 17:06 WIB
Article Title: Bisa Kurangi Asupan Gula dan Garam, MSG Dinilai Sehat Jika Dikonsumsi Secukupnya
Article Link :https://www.viva.co.id/gaya-hidup/kesehatan-intim/1644704-bisa-kurangi-asupan-gula-dan-garam-msg-dinilai-sehat-jika-dikonsumsi-secukupnya?page=3
By: Sumiyati