Monosodium Glutamate And Gluten. Msg is used in cooking as a flavor enhancer with an umami taste that intensifies the meaty, savory flavor of food, as naturally occurring glutamate does in foods such as stews and meat soups. Msg (monosodium glutamate), whose parent protein is glutamic acid, is used as a flavor enhancer due to it neurostimulating effect on the taste buds.
N a natural fermentation process is used to produce msg. Soy sauce, for instance, contains both msg and whey, so people having celiac disease (or gluten sensitivity) would react to the whey present, but the msg is not the problem. Monosodium glutamate (msg) and gluten are not one and the same.
For those individuals who want to avoid gluten in their diets, let me make this clear:
Refined msg causes a reaction in some people, including some people with celiac disease. Msg (monosodium glutamate), whose parent protein is glutamic acid, is used as a flavor enhancer due to it neurostimulating effect on the taste buds. When sodium is present, glutamic acid will form monosodium glutamate by binding with a single sodium atom. Did you know that the name of monosodium glutamate (msg), is a trade name for sodium hydrogen glutamate?