5 ms·

Probably not what you were looking for, but you can use yeast extract as a source of MSG. If I'm not mistaken some companies like McDonald's use this as a work-

Probably not what you were looking for, but you can use yeast extract as a source of MSG. If I'm not mistaken some companies like McDonald's use this as a work-around. Edit - apparently it is not banned in the US, though it is limited to 10g/kg of food in the EU. Sorry for the mistake, I could've swore I saw it banned somewhere. Edit 2 - I think I was thinking about Sodium Cyclamte instead, a sweetener in the Non-US Sweet n Low variants amongst other uses.

arsome 5y ago
What? MSG is very commonly used in popular American snack foods, like Doritos, no need for a workaround and there's no ban on it.
userbinator 5y ago
Fun fact - MSG is completely banned in the US for use in food Where did you read that? It would be all over the news if it was. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given MSG its generally recognized as safe (GRAS) designation
- user_7832 5y ago
  Thanks, I've corrected it. I don't know why I remember reading that because I used to wonder what might have caused such a reaction from the FDA. I suppose I'm misremembering with some other compound. Edit: I think it's Sodium Cyclamte I was thinking about, a sweetener in the Non-US Sweet n Low variants amongst other uses.
  - mprovost 5y ago
    I feel like this is a reenactment of how MSG got a bad name in the first place. Someone mistook it for a different compound and here we are decades later.
    - user_7832 5y ago
      It might be. There's also the thing that MSG's effects are "magical" and feel addicting which might make people a bit concerned about the "mystery substance" (instead of testing it in a lab to determine if it's actually safe or not).
- jasonhansel 5y ago
  Agreed. Keep in mind: MSG is used in Doritos. It's not exactly uncommon.
detritus 5y ago
Yeah, as others have pointed out, that's not the case at all. It would be very surprising to hear, given the horrifying list of chemical additives I read on the ingredients of imported American food products.
- user_7832 5y ago
  (I've corrected the comment) I know, which is exactly why this thing stood out to me. I don't know which substance or process I'm misremembering but I'm pretty sure there was something/some context where the US had stricter laws than the EU. I think it's Sodium Cyclamte, a sweetener in the Non-US Sweet n Low variants (I'm guessing because I had researched sweeteners pretty thoroughly at one point too).
  - detritus 5y ago
    Stevia was banned in the States (as in the EU) for a long time after it was allowed for consumption in other domains across the globe. I know I looked into importing some from Japan many (many) moons ago (purely out of idle interest) before getting bored and not bothering. Glad I didn't, because it's just as piss-poor as all the other artificial sweeteners..!
    - technothrasher 5y ago
      Stevia was never banned in the US, but it is still not "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA, so it cannot be sold as food. It does get sold as a "dietary supplement", though. Rebaudioside A, which is a Stevia extract and the basis for the "Stevia" sweeteners on the market, is recognized by the FDA.
      - detritus 5y ago
        Sorry, I meant 'banned for use in food' - I'm not American, so my terminology's likely inadequate.
chomp 5y ago
> MSG is completely banned in the US for use in food Can you expand on this? I’m looking at a bag of Doritos in my pantry that has MSG as its 12th ingredient.
- user_7832 5y ago
  Sorry I've corrected my comment above.
  - chomp 5y ago
    Oh, yeah cyclamate. Similar to that, Borax is banned in the US, but allowed as an additive in the EU. Found this out when trying to make pho meatballs.
    - Maursault 5y ago
      > Borax is banned in the US Borax is available at major retailers nationwide for purchase in-store.
      - chomp 5y ago
        In the context of this conversation we are discussing food additives.
pessimizer 5y ago
Nutritional yeast is basically the same thing if you need a powder. If you don't there are lots of common liquid options. edit: if for some reason you just don't want to buy a shaker of MSG.
- Semaphor 5y ago
  Nutritional yeast tastes completely different, though. There’s a reason it is used by vegans for cheesy dishes.
  - pessimizer 5y ago
    Completely different is an exaggeration. I use both, and sub in nutritional yeast whenever I'm out of MSG. MSG isn't cheesy by itself, but certainly amplifies any cheesiness.

arsome 5y ago

What? MSG is very commonly used in popular American snack foods, like Doritos, no need for a workaround and there's no ban on it.

userbinator 5y ago

Fun fact - MSG is completely banned in the US for use in food Where did you read that? It would be all over the news if it was. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given MSG its generally recognized as safe (GRAS) designation

user_7832 5y ago
Thanks, I've corrected it. I don't know why I remember reading that because I used to wonder what might have caused such a reaction from the FDA. I suppose I'm misremembering with some other compound. Edit: I think it's Sodium Cyclamte I was thinking about, a sweetener in the Non-US Sweet n Low variants amongst other uses.
- mprovost 5y ago
  I feel like this is a reenactment of how MSG got a bad name in the first place. Someone mistook it for a different compound and here we are decades later.
  - user_7832 5y ago
    It might be. There's also the thing that MSG's effects are "magical" and feel addicting which might make people a bit concerned about the "mystery substance" (instead of testing it in a lab to determine if it's actually safe or not).
jasonhansel 5y ago
Agreed. Keep in mind: MSG is used in Doritos. It's not exactly uncommon.

detritus 5y ago

Yeah, as others have pointed out, that's not the case at all. It would be very surprising to hear, given the horrifying list of chemical additives I read on the ingredients of imported American food products.

user_7832 5y ago
(I've corrected the comment) I know, which is exactly why this thing stood out to me. I don't know which substance or process I'm misremembering but I'm pretty sure there was something/some context where the US had stricter laws than the EU. I think it's Sodium Cyclamte, a sweetener in the Non-US Sweet n Low variants (I'm guessing because I had researched sweeteners pretty thoroughly at one point too).
- detritus 5y ago
  Stevia was banned in the States (as in the EU) for a long time after it was allowed for consumption in other domains across the globe. I know I looked into importing some from Japan many (many) moons ago (purely out of idle interest) before getting bored and not bothering. Glad I didn't, because it's just as piss-poor as all the other artificial sweeteners..!
  - technothrasher 5y ago
    Stevia was never banned in the US, but it is still not "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA, so it cannot be sold as food. It does get sold as a "dietary supplement", though. Rebaudioside A, which is a Stevia extract and the basis for the "Stevia" sweeteners on the market, is recognized by the FDA.
    - detritus 5y ago
      Sorry, I meant 'banned for use in food' - I'm not American, so my terminology's likely inadequate.

chomp 5y ago

> MSG is completely banned in the US for use in food Can you expand on this? I’m looking at a bag of Doritos in my pantry that has MSG as its 12th ingredient.

user_7832 5y ago
Sorry I've corrected my comment above.
- chomp 5y ago
  Oh, yeah cyclamate. Similar to that, Borax is banned in the US, but allowed as an additive in the EU. Found this out when trying to make pho meatballs.
  - Maursault 5y ago
    > Borax is banned in the US Borax is available at major retailers nationwide for purchase in-store.
    - chomp 5y ago
      In the context of this conversation we are discussing food additives.

pessimizer 5y ago

Nutritional yeast is basically the same thing if you need a powder. If you don't there are lots of common liquid options. edit: if for some reason you just don't want to buy a shaker of MSG.

Semaphor 5y ago
Nutritional yeast tastes completely different, though. There’s a reason it is used by vegans for cheesy dishes.
- pessimizer 5y ago
  Completely different is an exaggeration. I use both, and sub in nutritional yeast whenever I'm out of MSG. MSG isn't cheesy by itself, but certainly amplifies any cheesiness.