Kinetics of monosodium glutamate in human volunteers under different experimental conditions.

The kinetics of glutamic acid (GA) in plasma was studied in human volunteers after administration of monosodium glutamate (MSG) at different doses--43 mg/kg (3 g/70 kg) and 64 mg/kg (4.5 g/70 kg)--and in bouillon solutions of different concentrations (1.5-3.5%). MSG was administered to the subjects either during fasting or immediately after a standard meal. In the fasted subjects MSG administration caused a dose-dependent increase in plasma GA levels. In contrast, ingestion of MSG with a meal did not result in any significant increases in plasma GA levels in comparison with the wide variations observed in plasma GA after ingestion of a meal without added MSG.