What is monosodium glutamate?
Monosodium glutamate is a flavor enhancer, which is added to other flavors to avoid having to use them in high doses.
The flavoring capacity of glutamate is exploited by the food industry to enhance the flavor of stored products, meats, fish and some types of vegetables.
A few years ago a study was conducted in the United States in which a group of children were made to taste fried chicken legs treated with and without glutamate. As many as 95% of the children expressed their preference for glutamate-enriched chicken. In fact, on our tongue there are specific taste receptors with a marked sensitivity towards this substance; the recent discovery of their existence unquestionably demonstrates the presence of a fifth taste, in addition to the classic quartet given by sweet, salty, sour and bitter.
