MSG and Its Label Names: Yeast Extract, Glutamate and "No Added MSG"

Monosodium glutamate, better known as MSG, is one of the most searched food ingredients, and one of the most misunderstood. This guide explains what MSG is, how it is made, how the FDA regulates it, why "no added MSG" doesn't always mean "no glutamate," and what related ingredients like yeast extract, disodium inosinate, and disodium guanylate are.

What is monosodium glutamate?

According to the FDA, MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the common amino acids that make up proteins. Glutamate gives food a savory, meaty taste often called umami. When proteins in food are digested, they release free glutamate, and the FDA notes that this glutamate is chemically the same as the glutamate in MSG.

What MSG is made of

The FDA states that MSG is produced today by fermenting starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses, a process similar to the one used to make yogurt and vinegar.

Is MSG natural?

It depends on what you mean by "natural." Glutamate itself occurs naturally in many foods; the FDA names tomatoes and cheeses as examples. MSG as an ingredient is a purified product made by fermentation. The FDA has not formally defined "natural" for foods, so it is not a regulated category for MSG either way.

Is MSG safe?

The FDA lists MSG among common food ingredients, together with salt, pepper, vinegar, and baking powder, that it regards as generally recognized as safe (GRAS), in federal regulations at 21 CFR 182.1. In the 1990s, the FDA asked the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) to review the evidence, and FASEB's report concluded that MSG is safe.

The same FDA review notes that some sensitive people who eat 3 grams or more of MSG without food may have mild, short-lived symptoms such as headache or numbness. The FDA adds that a typical serving of a food with added MSG contains less than 0.5 grams. For context, the FDA estimates that an average adult eats about 13 grams of glutamate a day from the protein in food, and about 0.55 grams a day from added MSG.

International views

• The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) last evaluated glutamates in 1987 and gave them an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of "not specified," meaning the committee did not consider a numerical limit necessary.
• In 2017, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) set a group ADI of 30 mg per kg of body weight per day for glutamic acid and its salts (E 620 to E 625; MSG is E 621). EFSA said that people whose diets are high in foods with these additives, and toddlers and children with medium intake, may exceed that level.

MSG and sodium

MSG does contain sodium, but less than table salt by weight. From its chemical formula, MSG in its usual crystal form is about 12% sodium, compared with about 39% for table salt (sodium chloride). Sodium from MSG counts toward the sodium number on the Nutrition Facts label. See our guide to sodium and the 2,300 mg limit for where most sodium in the diet comes from.

How MSG appears on a label

When MSG is added to a food, the FDA requires it to be listed in the ingredients by its common name, "monosodium glutamate."

Ingredients that naturally contain glutamate

Some ingredients are rich in free glutamate even though they aren't MSG. The FDA lists these examples:

• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
• Autolyzed yeast and hydrolyzed yeast
• Yeast extract
• Soy extracts
• Protein isolate

These ingredients must appear in the ingredients list by name, but the label doesn't have to say that they contain glutamate. For protein hydrolysates, a separate rule, 21 CFR 102.22, requires the name to identify the food source, such as "hydrolyzed soy protein" or "hydrolyzed wheat gluten." A general name like "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" is not an acceptable name under that rule.

What "No MSG" and "No added MSG" mean

The FDA says that foods with ingredients that naturally contain free glutamate, such as those listed above, cannot claim "No MSG" or "No added MSG" on their packaging. So a "No added MSG" claim should mean two things: monosodium glutamate was not added, and the food doesn't include those glutamate-rich ingredients.

If a product without such a claim lists yeast extract or hydrolyzed protein, it may taste similarly savory without having MSG in the ingredients list. That isn't hiding anything under the rules; it's simply a different ingredient. If you choose to limit glutamate, read the whole ingredients list rather than relying on the front of the package.

Disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate

These two ingredients often appear near MSG or yeast extract on snack and soup labels. Federal regulations approve both as food additives: disodium inosinate (21 CFR 172.535) is the disodium salt of inosinic acid and is used as a flavoring adjuvant, and disodium guanylate (21 CFR 172.530) is permitted as a flavor enhancer at levels no higher than needed for the intended effect. Neither is glutamate, and neither has to be counted as MSG on a label.

Yeast extract and autolyzed yeast extract

Yeast extract is made by breaking down yeast cells so that their contents, including free amino acids like glutamate, can be used as a flavoring. "Autolyzed" means the yeast's own enzymes did the breaking down. Yeast extract is one of the FDA's examples of an ingredient that naturally contains glutamate. If you avoid gluten, note that some yeast extracts come from brewer's yeast; see our guide to gluten in yeasts, grains and grits.

How to use this on myfoodfact.com

• See which products list monosodium glutamate, yeast extract, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed soy protein, or hydrolyzed corn protein.
• Look up disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, and glutamic acid.
• Read about another catch-all flavor term in our guide to natural flavors.

The bottom line

MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation, and the FDA regards it as GRAS. Added MSG must be listed as "monosodium glutamate." Foods with glutamate-rich ingredients like yeast extract or hydrolyzed protein can't claim "No MSG" or "No added MSG," but they also don't have to say that they contain glutamate. Reading the whole ingredients list is the most reliable way to know what's in the food.

This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you think you react to a food ingredient, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian.