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mmanfrin

Most burgers are improved with MSG, it is a miracle salt.

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And msg is generally considered safe these days?

It's never not been safe.

wrong, this is what they used to synthesise MSG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylonitrile

I believe some MSG is still made with this and causes migraines and other heart issues, it's mostly phased out though, and can cause mixed reactions as the type of MSG isn't labelled, let alone MSG.

Your link has no mention of the subject being directly used to manufacture MSG, and only mention a link to glutamic acid being used for syntheses of it. This is not adequate evidence that Acrylonitrile was ever present in commercial MSG.

there are two known methods, acrylonitrile and bacteria as per this article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate#Productio...

>this and causes migraines and other heart issues

Until you can provide a shred of evidence for that I will assume you're just adding a layer of legitimate-sounding abstraction to the same superstition. Toxic precursors =/= toxic end products. This is chemistry, not alchemy.

It's probably not harmful

http://theconversation.com/mondays-medical-myth-msg-is-a-dan...

http://www.businessinsider.com/is-msg-sodium-in-chinese-food...

Pretty much.

Is MSG safe to eat?

FDA considers the addition of MSG to foods to be “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS).

https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/foodad...

I think of it like gluten, or lactose, for most people its fine, but some people definately don't tolerate it and only they need to avoid it. If you have the enzymes required to process it then you're fine, if your genetics are missing something required for processing it then you'll have problems.

just like people with Phenylketonuria and aspartame. Aspartame contains Phenylalanine and can cause issues for some, and it varies from product to product (quality standards). I used to have issues from drinking cheap diet cola.

It's ben heavily studied for decades and the whole msg scare has no science to back it up. It's possible that some people have a sensitivity to MSG, but for >99.99÷ of the population, it's completely safe.

I buy shakers of it, it can be delicious in some meals.

MSG is Monosodium Glutamate, the sodium salt of glutamate. Glutamate is an amino acid common in food, I assure you you eat tons of glutamate on a daily basis. There's nothing inherently unsafe about it, and your body knows exactly what to do with it. In fact, your body is literally made with it.

That said glutamate is a neurotransmitter, so yeah you probably shouldn't inject large quantities or anything.

MSG itself is not a problem. Actually, it is so good, you can use lowest quality products, add some MSG and still get tasty meals. I avoid MSG precisely for this reason - I try to eat quality food and you may never know what's behind it when MSG is used.

Do you also avoid salt,because literally the exact same reasoning could be used for salt or any spices

If food in a restaurant is too salty or spicy, I accept that as a signal that chef might be trying to hide something. Contrary to the salt and spices, the problem with MSG that it's hard to tell how much of it was used just by tasting, that's why I try to avoid it at all. I do use salt and spices when I cook at home, but then I rarely have to question the quality of products used. For example, when I cook burger from quality beef, a pinch of salt and black pepper is all I need, then why do you think McDonald's etc. use MSG by the handfuls?

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