增味剂,例如谷氨酸盐(621-625),在许多食品中都可以找到,包括小汤包,调味面,酱汁和咸味小吃。当谷氨酸接触到我们舌头上的味觉感受器时,它会给食物带来咸味(被称为鲜味)。与膳食混合后,谷氨酸平衡,融合并增强了总体风味。
某些食物-番茄制品,发酵酱(例如酱油或蚝油)和长久成熟的奶酪(例如斯蒂尔顿和帕玛森干酪)中的谷氨酸含量自然很高。
由于味精的名称如此糟糕,许多制造商使用其他谷氨酸来源为加工食品带来额外的风味。其中包括来自玉米,酵母或大豆的蛋白质提取物,经过加工释放谷氨酸。
对味精(MSG,621)敏感的人在使用含有大量味精的食物时可能会出现短期反应,例如头痛,潮红和麻木,并且某些哮喘患者也可能易感。
我们的判决
对大多数人而言,味精和其他谷氨酸盐无害。如果您对味精敏感,请检查其标签。
Flavour enhancers such as glutamates (621-625) are found in many foods, including packet soups, flavoured noodles, sauces and savoury snacks. When glutamate touches the taste receptors on our tongue, it gives food a savoury taste (known as umami). Mixed with a meal, glutamate balances, blends and enhances the total perception of flavour.
Some foods – tomato products, fermented sauces (such as soy sauce or oyster sauce) and long-matured cheeses such as stilton and parmesan – are naturally high in glutamate.
Because MSG has such a bad name, many manufacturers use other sources of glutamate to give processed foods the extra taste. These include protein extracts from corn, yeast or soy, which are processed to release the glutamate.
People sensitive to monosodium glutamate (MSG, 621) may have short-term reactions such as headaches, flushing and numbness when they eat foods that contain large amounts of MSG, and some asthmatics may also be susceptible.
Our verdict
For most people MSG and other glutamates are harmless. If you’re sensitive to MSG, check labels for it.
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