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MSG is purified glutamate, isolated in 1908
Kikunae Ikeda crystallised the savoury compound from kombu broth
Monosodium glutamate is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid found naturally in tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms and cured meat. The Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda isolated it from kombu in 1908 and named the taste umami. In cooking it behaves as a seasoning that boosts savoury notes rather than adding a flavour of its own.
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Tags: umami, glutamate, seasoning
MSG is purified glutamate, isolated in 1908: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Kikunae Ikeda crystallised the savoury compound from kombu broth. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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