confused about MSG, I plus G made of animal or vegetable product?
- Wednesday, October 02, 2013
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Disodium guanylate,
known by many names including disodium 5’-guanylate, is derived from a
nucleotide, guanosine monophosphate (GMP). It is similar to disodium inosinate,
also known as disodium 5’-inosinate, which comes from another nucleotide,
inosine monophosphate (IMP). The two together are frequently referred to as
5’-nucleotides (read as “five prime nucleotides.”) Nucleotides are naturally
occurring substances found mostly in meats although shiitake mushrooms are also
high in nucleotides. Nucleotides are components of information-carrying
molecules (such as DNA) as well as important molecules involved in many diverse
aspects of human metabolism.
In the flavor industry,
disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate are commonly known as disodium
ribotides (“I + G.”) It is typically sold in a 50:50 mixture of the two
ribotides. It is the I + G in combination with glutamates (naturally occurring
from glutamic acid, an amino acid found in proteins) which imparts the umami
(i.e., savory or meaty) flavor to foods. Only very small amounts are needed to
yield a very savory taste sensation.
A small amount of I + G
may be added to a food to replace some monosodium glutamate (MSG). (MSG is
itself used to reduce the salt, or sodium chloride, content of a food while
providing a meaty flavor due to its glutamate content.) The effect of this
addition is to impart a magnification of the savory taste sensation by
enhancing a food’s natural flavors. The overall result is even less sodium
chloride in the final product. One manufacturer’s quality assurance manager
told us that “actually [food companies] can use one of them, either disodium
inosinate or disodium guanylate [to get the flavor enhancement], but they
usually use both of them.” In fact, disodium guanylate is responsible for
stronger flavor enhancement than is disodium inosinate.
The VRG spoke to three
leading manufacturers of disodium guanylate and disodium inosinate about these
common flavor enhancers. All of them reported that they produce I + G by
microbial fermentation. Their growth media are all-vegetable, usually
consisting mainly of tapioca starch.
The Ajinomoto product of
disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate is called “Ajitide I + G.” The
process was described as one in which the “nucleoside precursors” of disodium
inosinate and disodium guanylate are first produced by microbial fermentation.
After further processing, the end products are the nucleotides, GMP and IMP.
These nucleotides are then separated from the fermentation medium, purified and
crystallized. The nucleotides are approved by the United States Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for food use. “The product does not contain animal
products…” according to company documents.
One of our sources in the
regulatory affairs department of her company that produces I + G from yeast
stated that since they are flavor products of a natural process, “they can be
labeled [on a food package] as ‘natural flavors.’ There’s no need to list them
as ‘disodium inosinate’ or disodium guanylate.’”
A manufacturer of
hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) told us that when his company adds disodium
inosinate (as a flavor enhancer) to a TVP product that he sells to another
company, it is clearly stated on his label. He did not know, however, if his
buyer, by federal regulation, must state on the label of the final food product
that disodium inosinate is present. Interested readers may wish to inquire with
food companies if they have questions about the “natural flavors” or the “flavor
enhancers” used in food products but which may or may not appear as an
ingredient on the label.
I + G is usually used in
conjunction with monosodium glutamate (MSG), yeast extracts, and/or HVP. In the
yeast extracts and HVP, their glutamates combine with salt present in the food
to form MSG. The glutamates also combine with I + G to produce a greater savory
taste. In many cases, a synergistic flavor profile results which means the
resulting savoriness is more than the sum of each component’s contribution to
the taste if used separately. I + G, MSG, HVP and yeast extracts are often used
in soups, sauces, and seasonings as well as in fast food and packaged rice or
noodle premixes. I + G may also be used alone to enhance flavor as long as the
food item is high in natural glutamates (tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, etc.)
The use of all these
ingredients, by themselves or in some combination, usually permits the
reduction of the total sodium chloride (salt) content of the packaged premix or
prepared food while enhancing the food’s salty and savory flavors.
Source:Jeanne Yacoubou, MS , VRG Research Director
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