What was the taste of the food you last ate out? Uniquely delicious I guess! There is a proliferation of processed or artificial flavour enhancing products in the market that are found in almost every home in the country. These are supposed to make our soups, stews and others spicy and palatable. This article is to look closely at the particular ingredient in these artificial spices that give them their flavour boosting ability and their impact on the health of users.

Monosodium glutamate is a salt formed from processed glutamic acid and sodium. During the processing of the glutamic acid, other chemical products (contaminants) are also produced alongside thus becoming part of the main product. These contaminants (heterocyclic amines and dichloro propanols) can cause cancer. Unlike common household salt which can easily breakdown in water and for that matter in the blood, MSG takes relatively longer time to breakdown and thus stays longer in the blood stream. Also MSG gives the unique “sweet” taste observed when eating foods that contain it. Due to this taste enhancement property, one may be tempted to add more to food to give the desirable taste leading to high intake of sodium which could have adverse effect on one’s blood pressure.

MSG has various adverse effects on man and animals alike. The first published report of a reaction to MSG appeared in 1968 when a Chinese immigrant in the United States of America, a medical Doctor reported that about 20 minutes into a meal at certain Chinese restaurants in the USA, he suffered numbness, tingling and tightness of the chest that lasted approximately 2hours. According to Dr. Man Kwok, he had never had the problem in China. The problem was later linked with the intake of foods prepared with MSG.
Several researches conducted on MSG using laboratory animals have revealed that MSG causes damage and disorders in the brain and also results in obesity (excess fatness) in these animals. In 1972, a medical Doctor by name John W. Olney testified before the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs that ingestion of MSG places humans at risk, with great risk being for the very young. By the late 1970s, manufacturers of baby foods had voluntarily removed all obvious MSG-containing ingredients from baby foods. Furthermore, ingestion of MSG has been linked to hysterical activity in children, severe burning sensation in chest, hypertention, depression and brain tumour.

MSG is found in several foods and food products on the market. The products include; processed and artificial spices and seasonings, hydrolyzed amino acids and proteins, low fat and no fat milk products, nutrient supplements, soups, salad dressings, processed meats, ice cream, canned tuna, frozen yoghurt, in some bread , crackers, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. In Ghana today, the use of MSG is very extensive, from fried rice joints to the kenkey and its accompanying pepper. Anytime you get a funny overly delicious taste of the kenkey or its pepper you buy from the street or the fried rice in that little kiosk, pause, think and act appropriately.

Remember that the more natural your food; the less unprocessed your food, the less often you eat outside home; the more natural spices (ginger, garlic, onions, white and black pepper) you use; and the more you prepare your own meals, all the better. Be wise!

By Prince Baidoo
Reviewed by Laurene Boateng