Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids.
It was classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as generally recognized as safe and by the European Union as a food additive. The glutamate of MSG confers the same umami taste of glutamate from other foods, being chemically identical.
Industrial food manufacturers market and use MSG as a flavor enhancer because it balances, blends and rounds the total perception of other tastes. Trade names of monosodium glutamate include Ac'cent, Aji-No-Moto, and Vetsin. Many people are allergic to MSG and it has in part caused people to become very skeptical of MSG.
People worry that MSG has health risks and can cause or aid in the problem of obesity. Recent studies have shown that MSG is safe and does not play a significant role in obesity or in other health risks.