353854 Fri Dec 22 21:59:52 -0800 2006 1 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 2123464 Is there anyone suffering from "pizza restaurant syndrome"? Epicurious defines MSG as "white crystalline powder derived from glutamic acid, one of the 22 amino acids." Is this flavor enhancer, a.k.a. COOH(CH2)2CH(NH2)COONa, naturally occurring or otherwise, benign or evil? Well, neither. Or both. It's akin to asking "Is pizza benign or evil?" If it makes you sick, it is evil. If not, you should be okay. FYI, here's a table of natural free glutamate abundantly present in foods you might not want to live without. (source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration). Keyword: moderation. food size glutamate contents (mg per serving) Tomato juice 1 cup 0.827 Tomato 3 slices 0.339 Meat loaf dinner 9 oz. 0.189 Human breast milk 1 cup 0.176 Mushrooms 1/4 cup 0.094 Parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp 0.047 Corn 1/2 cup 0.031 Peas 1/2 cup 0.024 Cow's milk 1 cup 0.016 Canned tuna (in water) 1/2 can 0.008 Fri Dec 22 21:59:52 -0800 2006 61426 grocerytrekker 1 2124370 a japanese food researcher isolated the naturally occurring glutamates, and coined the term "umami", to describe the elusively savory flavor. it is sometimes referred to as the "fifth taste." below is a link to a list: http://www.umamiinfo.com/umami-rich_food/ some years back, jeffrey steingarten did a funny essay that began, "if msg is so bad, shouldn't every chinese person have a headache?" Sat Dec 23 06:57:40 -0800 2006 2123464 30273 hotoynoodle