Center of Excellence for Food Safety Research, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Appetite. 2010 Aug;55(1):1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2010.05.002. Epub 2010 May 12.
This article reviews application of glutamate in food and its benefits and role as one of the common food ingredients used. Monosodium glutamate is one of the most abundant naturally occurring amino acids which frequently added as a flavor enhancer. It produced a unique taste that cannot be provided by other basic taste (saltiness, sourness, sweetness and bitterness), referred to as a fifth taste (umami). Glutamate serves some functions in the body as well, serving as an energy source for certain tissues and as a substrate for glutathione synthesis. Glutamate has the potential to enhance food intake in older individuals and dietary free glutamate evoked a visceral sensation from the stomach, intestine and portal vein. Small quantities of glutamate used in combination with a reduced amount of table salt during food preparation allow for far less salt to be used during and after cooking. Because glutamate is one of the most intensely studied food ingredients in the food supply and has been found safe, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization placed it in the safest category for food additives. Despite a widespread belief that glutamate can elicit asthma, migraine headache and Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS), there are no consistent clinical data to support this claim. In addition, findings from the literature indicate that there is no consistent evidence to suggest that individuals may be uniquely sensitive to glutamate.
本文综述了谷氨酸在食品中的应用及其作为常见食品成分之一的益处和作用。谷氨酸钠是最丰富的天然存在的氨基酸之一，经常被添加为增味剂。它产生了一种独特的味道，是其他基本味道（咸味、酸味、甜味和苦味）无法提供的，被称为第五种味道（鲜味）。谷氨酸在体内也有一些功能，它可以作为某些组织的能量来源，也可以作为谷胱甘肽合成的底物。谷氨酸有潜力增加老年人的食物摄入量，并且膳食中的游离谷氨酸会引起胃、肠和门静脉的内脏感觉。在食物准备过程中，少量谷氨酸与少量食盐结合使用，可以在烹饪中和烹饪后使用更少的盐。由于谷氨酸是食品供应中研究最多的食品成分之一，并且被认为是安全的，联合国粮食及农业组织/世界卫生组织食品添加剂联合专家委员会将其列为食品添加剂的最安全类别。尽管人们普遍认为谷氨酸会引发哮喘、偏头痛和中国餐馆综合征（CRS），但没有一致的临床数据支持这一说法。此外，文献研究结果表明，没有一致的证据表明个体可能对谷氨酸特别敏感。
