No added MSG, but what about its variants?

A week after tests on Maggi samples in the State revealed the presence of glutamic acid, health officials are still clueless on what to infer from test results.

Although the State food safety officials wrote to the Centre seeking its guidance on what has to be done about the presence of glutamic acid, the Centre has so far been silent on the issue.

Both the officials and food safety activists said this is because the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) does not specify anything about the presence of other forms of MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) such as ‘free glutamic acid’ and ‘glutamate’ derived from ‘hydrolysed vegetable protein.’

Although the label on the packets of instant food items say “No added MSG”, many food brands add “taste enhancers” indirectly through hydrolysed vegetable protein and ribonucleotide (extracted from fish and meat), which are other forms of MSG. This enhances the taste four times more than what MSG does, according to experts.

“As MSG is not allowed in noodles and pasta as per the Act, the food companies are cleverly adding hydrolysed vegetable protein which has 30 per cent to 40 per cent glutamic acid. MSG is just the salt of glutamic acid,” said Food Technologist K.C. Raghu.

The government should also include a provision in the Act to control such other avatars of MSG, he said.

Following the Maggi controversy, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) directed the State governments to draw other brands of instant noodles, pasta and macroni and test them for harmful additives and preservatives.

But ironically MSG or other forms of MSG such as hydrolysed protein or free glutamic acid do not figure in the list of parameters that the States have been asked to adopt for the tests.

State Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Deputy Director H.S. Shivakumar, who confirmed that MSG was not one of the parameters for the tests, said the products were being tested only for the “listed parameters.”