Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (TOKYO: 2802) announces this newsletter:
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Made From Snakes?
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (“Ajinomoto Co.”) has been in business for
more than 100 years, and that’s a pretty long time. Back in 1908,
when Professor Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University first
patented the manufacturing process of monosodium glutamate (MSG)
from flour, a long-distance radio message was sent from the Eiffel
Tower for the first time. New York City passed a regulation making
it illegal for women to smoke in public. The United States added a
46th star to its flag for Oklahoma. Mother’s Day was observed for
the first time. Henry Ford’s company built its first Model T car,
and Orville Wright made the first hour-long airplane flight1.
The world has changed a lot over the past 100 years, but some
things always seem to remain the same. For example: it’s really
hard to stop a baseless rumor.
Less than ten years after AJI-NO-MOTO®, umami seasoning began
sales in Japan, Ajinomoto Co. faced its first public relations
crisis. Somehow, somewhere, somebody started a terrible rumor about
the product—that it was made from snakes. Where did this idea come
from? Nobody knows. But, like rumors tend to do, this idea managed
to spread from household to household in Japan.
Of course, AJI-NO-MOTO®, was not, and has never been, made from
snakes. At the time, it was made from wheat. But the false rumor
presented Ajinomoto Co. with a major challenge. How could they
convince the public of the scientific truth? Television advertising
wasn’t an option—the first Japanese television wasn’t manufactured
over 30 years later2. Radio wasn’t even an option yet. Ajinomoto
Co. ran a newspaper advertisement denying the claim9, and even
conducted public tastings and hired performers called “chindon-ya”
to promote the product’s image in Japan3.
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome
This wasn’t the last time that Ajinomoto Co. had to defend
itself against unscientific claims. On April 4, 1968, Dr. H.M. Kwok
wrote a Letter to the editor of the prestigious New England Journal
of Medicine. He described a “strange syndrome” that he experienced
when eating in Chinese restaurants that included a feeling of
numbness, weakness, and palpitations, and speculated about several
possible causes, including the soy sauce, cooking wine, high sodium
content, and—you guessed it—MSG. He concluded by suggesting that
one of his colleagues perform a proper scientific investigation
into this phenomenon, and offered to help9.
Unfortunately, this completely innocuous Letter to the editor
marked the birth of an idea, unsupported by evidence, that MSG
caused “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.” And suddenly, Chinese
restaurants everywhere were hanging “No MSG” signs on their front
windows—even those that had AJI-NO-MOTO® on the tables inside!
The truth is that after years of research, it’s still not proven
whether Chinese Restaurant Syndrome exists at all. But it has been
scientifically established that if this syndrome does exist, it
definitely is not related to MSG. The final piece of evidence was
published by Dr. Geha in 2000, which concluded that added MSG in
food does not cause Chinese Restaurant Syndrome9. Nonetheless,
decades later, this rumor hasn’t been completely eradicated.
Of Mice and Men
Shortly after Dr. Kwok’s Letter to the editor, in 1969, an
alarming study was published in the journal, Science by Dr. J.W.
Olney, in which high doses of MSG were injected into newborn mice,
which developed brain lesions. However, once again, this turned out
to be a false alarm, for two important reasons. First of all, the
amount of MSG administered in the study was extremely high—the
peroral equivalent range of three bottles (tens to hundreds of
grams/per bottle) for an adult-sized subject9. Secondly, and more
importantly, there is a major physiological difference between
humans and newborn mice that was overlooked in the study.
Mammals have something called the “Blood-brain Barrier” which
protects the brain from cells, particles, and specific molecules
that are in the bloodstream4. In newborn mice, the Blood-brain
Barrier is immature. But primates, including humans, are born with
a more mature Blood-brain Barrier. This means that the results
observed in mice in this study do not reflect what occurs in
humans. And this is why subsequent studies by Dr. Takasaki (1979)
and Dr. Helms (2017) have suggested that normal consumption of
dietary MSG has no negative effect on the brain9.
Evidence is More Powerful than Rumors
The truth is throughout the years, numerous studies have
concluded that MSG is safe. As a result, major regulatory bodies
have publicly confirmed this point. The Japanese Ministry of
Health, Labour and Welfare, which regulates food safety in Japan,
officially approved MSG as a food additive in 19485. Ten years
later, the United States Food and Drug Administration recognized
MSG as safe6.
In addition, starting in 1970, a Joint Expert Committee on Food
Additives (JECFA) formed by the World Health Organization and the
Food and Agriculture Organization released a series of statements
on the safety of MSG in infants, leading to a 1987 conclusion that
there is no need to restrict MSG usage in infants of any age7.
And perhaps the most comprehensive investigation of MSG safety
was published in 1995 by the Federation of American Societies for
Experimental Biology (FASEB). This report, which addresses 18
detailed questions about MSG safety across more than 350 pages,
reaffirms the safety of MSG for the general population at normally
consumed levels, finding no evidence connecting MSG to any serious,
long-term medical problems8.
Commonly Accepted Scientific Rationale for MSG
Safety9
- Blood glutamate level does not rise
when monosodium glutamate is used with food.
- Approximately 95% of glutamate is
metabolized in the intestine for energy.
- Glutamate is the dominant amino acid in
breast milk.
- Infants metabolize glutamate as well as
adults do, and consume more glutamate than adults relative to body
weight without any harmful effect.
- There is no evidence of MSG-related
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.
- Glutamate is a basic taste substance,
with its own taste receptors on the tongue.
- MSG intake is “self-limiting”—as with
salt or vinegar, using too much actually decreases the palatability
of food.
Is There Evidence MSG Might Be Good For People?
Well, for some people, the answer may be “yes.” MSG can be used
to increase palatability for people required to consume a
salt-restricted diet. For the elderly, as well as for people with
nutritional problems, MSG helps counteract loss of appetite9.
We will explore these points in detail in future editions of
this newsletter.
Ajinomoto Co.—Science is on Our Side
If there’s a bright side to the history of rumors and false
claims against MSG, it’s that Ajinomoto Co. has repeatedly
responded to these situations with science and evidence. MSG is
likely one of the most studied food additive substances in the
history of the world. And the continual research Ajinomoto Co. has
conducted on its products has made us one of the foremost expert
companies on glutamate and other amino acids in the world, which
led to our diversification into the fields of science and
health.
Ajinomoto Co. will always remain committed to providing not only
products that help people eat well and live well, but also the
evidence to back these products up.
About Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
Ajinomoto Co. is a global manufacturer of high-quality
seasonings, processed foods, beverages, amino acids,
pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals. For many decades Ajinomoto
Co. has contributed to food culture and human health through
wide-ranging application of amino acid technologies. Today, the
company is becoming increasingly involved with solutions for
improved food resources, human health and global sustainability.
Founded in 1909 and now operating in 30 countries and regions,
Ajinomoto Co. had net sales of JPY 1,091.1 billion (USD 10.07
billion) in fiscal 2016. For more about Ajinomoto Co. (TOKYO :
2802), visit www.ajinomoto.com.
For further information or references and literature support of
any information contained in this newsletter, please contact
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Global Communications Department:
ajigcd_newsletter@ajinomoto.com.
References: 1.
“Historical Events in 1908,” On This
Day,https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1908
2.
“1960-1969 Japanese Television Sets,”
Television History - The First 75
Years,http://www.tvhistory.tv/1960-69-JAPAN.htm
3. Stephanie Assmann, Eric C. Rath (eds.), “Japanese Foodways, Past
and Present,” University of Illinois Press, 2010, 152. 4.
Oxford, “Oxford Dictionaries,” Oxford
University Press,
2017.https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/blood%E2%80%93brain_barrier
5.
“The Ordinance for Enforcement of the Food
Sanitation Act,” The Ministry of Health and Welfare, No.23, July
13,
1948.http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?id=169&vm=04&re=01&new=1
6.
“CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title
21, ” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, April 1,
2017.https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=182.1
7.
“MONOSODIUM L-GLUTAMATE,” Evaluations of
the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), World
Health Organization,
1987.http://apps.who.int/food-additives-contaminants-jecfa-database/chemical.aspx?chemID=2257#
8.
Monica Singh, “FACT OR FICTION? The MSG
Controversy,” LEDA at H arvard Law School,
2005.https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/8846733/Sing05.html?sequence=2
9.
Data on file.
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Ajinomoto Co., Inc.Daisuke Nakamiya, +81-3-5524-1474Global
Communications Departmentajigcd_newsletter@ajinomoto.com