Processed
Monosodium Glutamate
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, a free amino acid that intensifies savoury umami taste without adding a separate flavour of its own. Crystalline or powdered MSG dissolves readily in soups, stocks, marinades, snack seasonings, and ready meals, rounding meaty and vegetable notes at low dose. Pure food-grade MSG is white, free-flowing, and faintly saline. It is produced by fermentation of carbohydrate feedstocks with Corynebacterium or related bacteria, then purified and crystallised. Kitchen use is measured in pinches or fractions of a teaspoon; over-salting with MSG alone is uncommon because umami saturates before saltiness does.
Also known as: Aji-no-moto / MSG, Weijing, Monosodium Glutamate, MSG / E621
Track this ingredient
Explore further
Breeds & varieties
A sample of named types with their own origin and culinary profiles.
Characteristics
Preparations
Provenance
Sources
Traits
Nutrition and pairings
Nutrition
Typical values per 100 g edible portion. Nutrient names open the reference page.
Nutrition Facts
Per 100 g edible portion
Amount per 100 g
- Total Fat 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Sodium 12300 mg
- Salt 30.8 g
- Total Carbohydrate 0 g
- Dietary Fibre 0 g
- Total Sugars 0 g
- Complex / starch 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Water 8.5 g
- Water 8.5 g
- Amino Acids 78.2 g
- Non-Essential 78.2 g
- Glutamic Acid 78.2 g
- Minerals 12300 mg
- Major Minerals 12300 mg
- Sodium 12300 mg
Minerals
MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid (typically the monohydrate), an umami seasoning—not a starch sweetener. Culinary labels list 0 kcal and 0 protein because it is a free amino-acid salt, not a polypeptide. Sodium is ~12.3 g/100 g; glutamic acid is recorded as the free amino acid (~78 g), not as dietary protein.
In the kitchen
Culinary partners and combinations that usually underperform with Monosodium Glutamate.
Usually avoid with
Often clash in flavour or tradition
History
Kikunae Ikeda isolated glutamate as the source of kelp dashi umami and commercialised monosodium glutamate as a seasoning.
Ajinomoto began industrial MSG production, establishing glutamate as a global savoury enhancer.
Fermentation routes replaced extraction from wheat gluten and seaweed for most bulk MSG supply.
International safety reviews affirmed food-use MSG while culinary debates over sensitivity continued in popular media.
Clean-label and natural-fermentation messaging reframed MSG and free glutamate for modern product development.