Capitol Hill Blue Forums Misc. Topics Food, Drink and Cooking What's for dinner?

First Jeff, I so sorry to read about Daryl's struggles with heart failure and edema. See below to find much more than most want to know about MSG as a salt reduction strategy. But, bottom line MSG does contain Sodium, but much less than the amounts of NaCl needed for palatability. The amounts and conversions are detailed below. Further reduction in sodium can be achieved using other Cations (my favorite ions) like potassium, calcium, and ammonium NH4+, but in Daryl's case they can cause other problems and would have to be approved by his treating physicians.
It's actually much more complicated when we start discussing Sodium and Chloride in the context of fluid retention in heart failure and diuretic use. There is now considerable data that Chloride may be the bad actor rather than Sodium, but as they are usually consumed together as NaCl it has been hard to define their indivdual roles in volume regulation in general and specifically in diuretic resistant heart failure. For example Na Bicarbonate, baking soda, does not have the same fluid retention stimulation as NaCl. The body disposes of excess Bicarbonate by blowing off CO2 from the lungs, but cant dispose of Chloride which has to be done through the kidney. Which brings up pretty much all of Kidney physiology to help understand fluid and blood pressure regulation by the renin-angiotensin system.
I will post some references that may help, but it is an extremely complicated and confusing system, even to those of us who have been dealing with this for 40-50 years! And, Medical Students really hate it because they have to know it!
Much MOAR later!
TAT

Monosodium glutamate as a tool to reduce sodium in foodstuffs: Technological and safety aspects

In comparison to NaCl, glutamate salts such as MSG or monoammonium L‐glutamate and disodium inosinate and guanylate, have low or no sodium content (Figure 1). There is an appropriate amount of MSG for NaCl replacement with maintaining acceptance of the food. This is because an excess of MSG does not promote the umami taste and, on the contrary, could lead to an undesirable sensation (Jinap & Hajeb, 2010). The recommendation for MSG use as food additive is 0.1%–0.8% of weight, which corresponds to the amount of free L‐glutamate present naturally in tomato or parmesan cheese (Beyreuther et al., 2007). For MSG, the amount of sodium is 12.28 g/100 g, and this is 1/3 of the sodium when compared to NaCl (39.34 g/100 g). To use MSG in a homemade recipe, such as 500 g of foodstuff (rice, minced meat, etc.), a simple replacement of 1/2 teaspoon of NaCl (2.5 g) by 1/2 teaspoon of MSG (2.0 g) reduces sodium content in about 37% (Maluly, Pagani, & Capparelo, 2013).
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Figure 1

Structures and sodium content of monosodium glutamate monohydrate, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate

The following sections present potential applications of MSG to reduce sodium content in specific foods.
3.1. Soups

Yamaguchi and Takahashi (1984) were some of the first researchers who tested different concentrations of NaCl and MSG in soups with reduced sodium content. The authors evaluated sensory panels via the consumption of sumashi‐jiru, a popular soup in Japan, made with dried bonito fish. The scales used by the sensory panels varied in a range of seven points that considered the amount of NaCl and palatability: from “extremely strong or palatable” (+3) to “extremely weak or unpalatable” (−3). Each panelist evaluated nine samples randomly and considered the concentration of 0.81 g/100 g of NaCl and 0.38 g/100 g of MSG as an ideal formulation. The authors verified that the reduction in the NaCl amount did not affect the palatability of the salty taste. With these concentrations, it was possible to reduce sodium content and maintain acceptability. This research suggested that to increase the palatability of reduced sodium products, MSG content should be tested at fixed concentrations while varying the levels of NaCl until finding the most appropriate combination. This is the best strategy to reduce the total sodium content in soups without influencing their palatability.

A recent study conducted by Jinap et al. (2016) investigated the acceptance of a sodium reduction in spicy soups (curry chicken and chili chicken) by Malaysian panelists, replacing NaCl with MSG. The authors verified that MSG could maintain the acceptability of the soups. The high score of acceptability was given for the soups with 0.8 g/100 g and 0.7 g/100 g of NaCl and MSG, respectively. These amounts corroborate a previous study published by Yamaguchi and Takahashi (1984), who noted that MSG could reduce the sodium content by 32.5%.
3.2. Stocks and seasonings

Stocks and seasonings containing NaCl are generally the main vehicles to elevate sodium consumption, according to the POFs (2002–2003 and 2008–2009) (Sarno et al., 2009, 2013).


5. FINAL COMMENTS

Considering the available data in the scientific literature, in addition to the information provided by the flavor enhancer industry, we could verify the use of umami substances as a strategy to reduce sodium in different foodstuffs (processed and homemade foods) without affecting the perception of saltiness and, therefore, contributing to the wellness and safety of the population. Many applications evaluated showed promising results, especially in those products with elevated sodium contents such as processed meat.

Despite concerns about the toxicity potential of MSG raised by some studies, regulatory agencies have demonstrated the safety of use of this food additive through toxicity assessments and randomized double blind, placebo‐controlled studies. An ADI “not specified” or GRAS status has been allocated to glutamate and its salts, meaning that it can be used as a food additive in the necessary amount to achieve the desired technological effect. Nonetheless, in the European Union, a use limit of 10 g glutamate/kg of food has been established.

Other strategies, such as the use of nucleotides (IMP and GMP) and NFEs, could also be useful for enhancing products with reduced sodium content. The combination of different substances in a formulation could generate a larger impact in flavor continuity due to their synergistic effect when added at recommended concentrations to maintain the desirable flavor without exceeding the sensorial and technological limits.

Sensorial and physicochemical tests are always recommended to obtain higher quality products while respecting the preferences of the consumers and the lifestyles of the modern life.