How bad is MSG

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Just splitting hairs here, so please don't take it personally. For Andy, you know that I hold your culinary knowledge in high regard. Papain is indeed found in papaya, and also, I believe in kiwi fruit. The tenderizing enzyme found in pineapple however, is bromelain. As you stated, Adolph's Meat tenderizer contains papain. McCormic's Meat Tenderizer uses bromelain.

An interesting fact about fresh pineapple is that the bromelain is powerful enough, along with the naturally occuring acids, to cause skin irritation and sometimes damage. People who work with raw pineapple must wear protective gloves. To much raw pineapple can cause your tongue to actually bleed.

I'm not sure about papain, but bromelain is denatured by heat, which is why you can use canned pineapple in jello, while fresh pineapple prevents it from setting up.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
i knew about the pineapple weed. the enzyme breaks down protein so it is breaking down the protein in the skin thats what causes the problems. right?
 
Just splitting hairs here, so please don't take it personally. For Andy, you know that I hold your culinary knowledge in high regard. Papain is indeed found in papaya, and also, I believe in kiwi fruit. The tenderizing enzyme found in pineapple however, is bromelain...


Thanks for posting the correct info, GW. I got carried away.
 
My bottle does not say anything about it being used as a tenderizer and only lists MSG and not papain. Perhaps They changed it at some point?
 
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Well that search does not mean the info is accurate. For instance, the first result turned up Yahoo Answers, which is one of the worst places to get info usually. The food information I have seen there is horrible. For instance, today I saw a question about if you can drink too much water. Countless people said their is no danger in that and it is actually good for you. The OP was drinking 6 Liters a day. That is a recipe for death.

My only point being, that I can only go buy what is on my bottle and it very clearly states the only ingredient in the bottle is MSG.
 
If Accent had any tenderizing properties, you can bet the manufacturer would say so. The fact that the manufacture does NOT claim that Accent does anything other than enhance flavors is pretty conclusive evidence in my mind that the product is not a meat tenderizer, regardless of what some people may erroneously believe. Here's the link to the site: Welcome to B&G Foods, Inc.
 
So, out of curiosity, for those of you who use Accent, what is the benefit of using this over regular salt?
 
It is not to be used in place of regular salt apple*tart. It is to be used in conjunction. Think of it as just another spice in your repertoire. Just as you may add salt and pepper and thyme and cumin to a dish you might also add MSG on top of that.
 
Ah - I didn't realize that. I guess I was confused because it's billed as a flavor enhancer, which is basically what salt is. So what does MSG taste like, then? I remember having this stuff in the cupboard when I was a kid, but I don't recall its flavor.
 
When I started this thread i had no idea it would go so far. I sincerely thank all of you for sharing in this discussion. I know a lot more now than I did when I asked toe original question.
 
Ah - I didn't realize that. I guess I was confused because it's billed as a flavor enhancer, which is basically what salt is. So what does MSG taste like, then? I remember having this stuff in the cupboard when I was a kid, but I don't recall its flavor.
It is very hard to describe the flavor. It has a taste without having a taste. I know that makes no sense at all, but once you put some on your tongue you will know what I mean. It is kind of meaty without tasting like meat. It is almost more a feeling then a taste. You know when you taste some real good homemade chicken stock and it makes you smack your lips? It is kind of like that. very hard to describe, but quite pleasant.
 
I figured it out... Ac'cent is NEXT to the Adolf's Meat tenderizer on the shelf at our local Wal-Mart...
ha!
 
And how exactly are people supposed to learn about seasoning there food if we are just using a chemical. I love chinese takeout and I eat a fair share of msg, but when it comes to my own cooking, Salt and pepper work wonders if you use them right
 
Salt is a chemical.

Virtually every natural thing on this planet is a chemical or contains chemicals within its structure, especially living organisms. For instance, would you Hydrochloric Acid a chemical? I certainly would. And yet, without it, you couldn't digest much of the food you eat. But it is also used to clean concrete and prepare it for glues and paints. It cleans pennies too. Our own bodies manufacture it. And what about enzymes and alkalyes? Our bodies make those too. We also synthesize various compounds and chemicals from the foods we eat.

From the Google Dictionary we get a definition -
Chemical means involving or resulting from a reaction between two or more substances, or relating to the substances that something consists of. ADJ ADJ n

  • ...chemical reactions that cause ozone destruction.
  • ...the chemical composition of the ocean.
Chemicals are all around us and occur naturally. Just because something is a "chemical" that doesn't meat that it's bad. It's how we use those chemicals that determine their value or lack thereof.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
My point exactly GW. People always get up in arms about using chemicals, yet they use them every day and they are necessary for their existence.
 
Water is a chemical compound, and so is arsenic. But I don't brush my teeth with arsenic and neither do I want to find it in my drinking water. So, let's get real!!! When people talk about chemicals, they generally mean compounds that are manufactured and do NOT occur naturally; man-made compounds such as trichloroethylene (a volatile industrial solvent) for example, or naturally occurring chemicals that are generally poisonous or harmful in some way.

There are too many examples of these harmful chemicals that have poisoned or killed millions of people by getting loose into the food/water/air supply by irresponsible and greedy industrial companies. Many people, people with sense, have a right... an obligation to be skeptical about the effects of these compounds, naturally occurring or not, that are put into our food, water and air, and are based on a very poor record of concern for our health by industry but a great concern for their bank accounts. It's gotten to the point that we either have to learn how to protect ourselves and not take the effect of these compounds for granted, or die. It's that simple. To do less is naive.
 
I am confused Arky. Are you saying that those of us who trust the many many reports that show that MSG is safe to use are naive and have no sense?
 
People with blind trust often fall over a cliff.

Don't think that so-called reports or studies are without error or bias.
*I can show you a mountain of studies that prove without a doubt that smoking is not harmful, studies by both the cigarette companies AND by our own government!
*When Coca Cola first came out cocaine was a major "chemical" ingredient and released upon the public with the blessing of our government.
* DDT and malathion was paid for by our government through subsidies to be applied to our food, and they had studies that showed these chemicals to be harmless.
*Agent Orange was developed, promoted and used because of government subsidies through our universities and the military, as a "harmless" defoliant.
*How many chemical leaks have we had into the environment as the result of some underpaid government inspector making a report that said the chemical company was acting responsibly?
*Several years ago our federal government took receivership of a prostitution ranch in Nevada because of owed back taxes. They closed the ranch after 6 months rather than sell it because they couldn't make a profit?! What kind of idiots can't make money selling gambling, sex and booze? Yet these are the same quality people you want to trust your life to? NOT ME!
*Here's one that just appeared yesterday; It has now been shown that the widely used arthritis treatments of Humira, Remicade or Embril pose a serious cancer risk to children; but this treatment was blessed by the FDA for many years, and even offered to me free treatments using them. I said no.

So much for "reports or studies!"
 
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