>Date:    Fri, 17 Oct 2003 12:04:18 -0700
>From:    Ingrid Bauer/Jean-Claude Catry <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: glutamate


>about glutamate
>is lacto fermentation of vegetables included ?
>what fermentation ? miso , tamari and other japanese soya product .?
>vinegars , what else ?
>
>jean-claude
>

....Bacterial fermentation...

I don't know much about lacto fermentation of veggies but guess it means
fermenting veggies with milk. And milk would be great as a bacterial medium.
Milk is also high in glutamate and isolated milk protein has a high count of
MSG. Hence anyone who drinks milk should never have semiskimmed milk as it has
added milk protein to up the protein content required by law.

Yes fermented veggies are high in free glutamate. "Monosodium Glutamate is
also produced when food is fermented. The longer it is fermented, the more MSG
is produced. The following fermented products contain Monosodium Glutamate."

 aged cheese
 soy sauce
 wine


http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html

will tell you all the hidden forms found in labeling

WWW.truthinlabeling.org -- Home page

How is MSG manufactured?

Processed free glutamic acid (MSG) is created when protein is either partially
or fully broken apart into its constituent amino acids, or glutamic acid is
secreted from selected bacteria. A protein can be broken into its constituent
amino acids in a number of ways (autolysis, hydrolysis, enzymolysis, and/or
fermentation).  In general, these processes are referred to as "hydrolyzation"
of protein. When a protein is hydrolyzed, the amino acid chains in the protein
are broken, and the amino acids are freed. Acids, enzymes, and/or fermentation
processes are used to hydrolyze protein.  These processes are discussed in
some detail in food encyclopedias -- wherein articles on glutamic acid and
monosodium glutamate are generally written by persons who work for Ajinomoto,
Co., Inc.

Creating processed free glutamic acid (MSG) by bacterial fermentation is not
openly discussed by the glutamate industry.  Neither is it discussed in any
detail in food encyclopedias. It has been our observation that Ajinomoto
avoids mention of the fact that it produces most, if not all, of its
monosodium glutamate by bacterial fermentation.  It seems strange to us that
when Ajinomoto discusses the way in which monosodium glutamate is
manufactured, they talk about it being made from beets, corn, or some other
crop, instead of describing their use of bacteria (which may be genetically
engineered) and their process of bacterial fermentation.

Although seaweed had been used by oriental cultures to enhance food flavor for
over 1,000 years, it was not until 1908 that the essential component
responsible for the flavor phenomenon was identified as glutamic acid, and
methods for extracting glutamic acid from seaweed were developed.  In 1910,
the Ajinomoto Company was established in Japan, and industrial production of
glutamic acid (and monosodium glutamate) commenced.  From 1910 until 1956, the
process underlying production of monosodium glutamate was one of extraction, a
slow and costly method.

In 1956, the Japanese succeeded in producing glutamic acid by means of
fermentation; and after considerable research to identify suitable strains of
microorganisms for starting the requisite cultures, large-scale production of
glutamic acid and monosodium glutamate through fermentation began.

Today, the glutamic acid component of the food additive monosodium glutamate
is generally made by bacterial or microbial fermentation wherein bacteria used
are often, if not always, genetically engineered.  This method is rarely
discussed in food encyclopedias where articles on monosodium glutamate are
generally written by agents of Ajinomoto, the world's leading MSG
manufacturer.  Neither is the bacterial fermentation method mentioned in
materials used to sell monosodium glutamate.  In this method, bacteria are
grown aerobically in a liquid nutrient medium. The bacteria have the ability
to excrete glutamic acid they synthesize outside of their cell membrane into
the liquid nutrient medium in which they are grown. The glutamic acid is then
separated from the fermentation broth by filtration, concentration,
acidification, and crystallization, and converted to its monosodium salt.

 According to The Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients:

"Monosodium glutamate can generally be produced by three methods: (1)
hydrolysis of proteins such as gluten or proteins present in sugar beet
wastes, (2) synthesis, and (3) microbial fermentation. In the hydrolysis
method, the protein is hydrolyzed with a strong mineral acid to free amino
acids, and the glutamic acid is then separated from the mixture, purified, and
converted to its monosodium salt, [monosodium glutamate].  This used to be the
major method of [monosodium glutamate] manufacture. Currently most of the
world production of [monosodium glutamate] is by bacterial fermentation. In
this method bacteria (especially strains of Micrococcus glutamicus) are grown
aerobically in a liquid nutrient medium containing a carbon source (e.g.,
dextrose or citrate), a nitrogen source such as ammonium ions or urea, and
mineral ions and growth factors. The bacteria selected for this process have
the ability to excrete glutamic acid they synthesize outside of their cell
membrane into the medium and accumulate there. The glutamic acid is separated
from the fermentation broth by filtration, concentration, acidification, and
crystallization, followed by conversion to its monosodium salt [monosodium
glutamate]."
Processed free glutamic acid (MSG) carries with it material not found with
unprocessed glutamic acid. Unprocessed glutamic acid is L-glutamic acid, only.
Processed free glutamic acid (MSG) is both L-glutamic acid and D-glutamic
acid, and is accompanied by pyroglutamic acid and other contaminants.  The
contaminants differ according to the materials and methods used to produce the
glutamic acid. Under certain circumstances, processed free glutamic acid is
accompanied by mono and dichloro propanols (which are carcinogenic) or
heterocyclic amines (which are also carcinogenic).
By FDA definition, processed free glutamic acid (MSG) is "naturally
occurring," because the basic ingredient is found in nature. "Naturally
occurring" does not mean that a food additive is being used in its natural
state. "Naturally occurring" only means that the food additive began with
something found in nature. By FDA definition, the ingredient "monosodium
glutamate" is natural. So is hydrochloric acid. So is arsenic. "Natural,"
doesn't mean "safe."

When a protein hydrolysate contains 79% free glutamic acid (the balance being
made up of salt, moisture, and up to 1 per cent contaminants), the product is
called "monosodium glutamate" by the FDA and must be labeled as such.  When a
protein hydrolysate consists of less free glutamic acid, the FDA does not
require that the ingredients be identified as containing MSG.  While the
glutamic acid in monosodium glutamate is generally produced through bacterial
fermentation, the glutamic acid in the other hydrolyzed proteins is usually
generated using acid or enzymatic hydrolysis or simple fermentation.  In acid
hydrolysis, crude gluten or other starting materials are generally hydrolyzed
by heating with hydrochloric acid.


I'm not sure about vinegars. It depends what they are made from. White vinegar
can contain glutamate residue from the grain it was made from. And some white
vinegars are made from petroleum by-products. I think that good cider vinegars
etc are OK. I react to balsamic but have never done any research on it. I
choose fresh lemon myself.

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