Speaking of flavor enhancers, you are certainly familiar with monosodium glutamate or MSG. But apparently, there are several other types of flavor enhancers contained in food. One of the flavor enhancers besides MSG is disodium guanylate. Get to know disodium.
Get to know the guanylate disodium and its origins
Disodium guanylate or disodium guanylate is one of the additives commonly mixed in food, including processed foods. It can be contained in various food categories, from cereals, instant noodles, and even energy drinks. Chemically, sodium guanylate is derived from a nucleotide called guanosine monophosphate or GMP. Sodium guanylate is usually produced from tapioca starch. Apart from tapioca starch, this flavor enhancer can also be processed from mushrooms, yeast, and seaweed.
An interesting trivia about using disodium guanylate is its ability to add an "umami" flavor to a dish. Umami, considered to be the 5th basic taste, is associated with savory and delicious flavors that are distinct from salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. The taste of umami can be enhanced with a combination of disodium guanylate and MSG.
The use of disodium guanylate as a food flavoring
Disodium guanylate can be used with MSG or perhaps to replace MSG.
1. Combined with MSG
Monosodium glutamate or MSGis a very popular flavoring. Compounds like glutamate can amplify how the tongue tastes salt in food. Together with MSG, disodium guanylate can enhance the taste of food. The combination of MSG with GMP products (disodium guanylate precursor compound) was even reported to be eight times stronger than MSG without GMP. In other words, if you put aside the health risks, foods that are mixed with MSG in combination with disodium guanylate tend to be more delicious.
2. As a substitute for MSG
Besides being combined together, disodium guanylate is also sometimes mixed into food as a replacement for MSG. To replace MSG, disodium guanylate is usually combined with disodium inosinate. Disodium inosinate itself is a flavor enhancer derived from inosinic acid.
Foods containing guanylate disodium
There are many types of foods that contain disodium guanylate. These include:
- Cereals
- Instant noodles
- Snacks
- Sauce
- Pasta
- Meat that has been given curing salt (for the preservation process)
- Energy drink
- Canned vegetables
- Bottled spice mix
Interestingly, disodium guanylate also occurs naturally in foods such as fish and mushrooms. Shitake mushrooms dried can contain 150 milligrams of disodium guanylate for every 100 grams.
Are there any negative effects of disodium guanylate?
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, disodium guanylate is a safe flavor enhancer. Even so with the consideration of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) - that these additives are safe for consumption.However, it is not clear the safe dosage of using disodium guanylate as a flavoring and flavor enhancer. The reason is, not much research related to this additive has been done. You are of course advised limiting consumption of processed foods in order to reduce intake additives.
The group that should limit their intake of disodium guanylate
If you have a sensitivity to MSG and come across a product that contains disodium guanylate, you should pay close attention to whether the product also contains MSG. As noted above, disodium guanylate and MSG are often mixed together.Symptoms of MSG sensitivity include headache, muscle tension, and facial flushing. MSG is usually listed on food labels as glutamate and glutamic acid. If you have a history of uric acid kidney stones, you should also avoid foods that contain disodium guanylate. This is because guanylate is often metabolized into the urine, a type of compound that can increase uric acid levels.
