MSG has been used for more than 100 years to season food. Its origins are in Japan where it started as an extract from kelp. The story begins in 1907 when Kikunae Ikeda, a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University, was dining on a bowl of soup made with dashi broth and kombug (edible kelp) when he detected a taste that wasn’t sweet, salty, sour or bitter. He named this savory taste umami and began research to identify the umami component of the kelp. Within a year, he successfully identified, isolated, extracted, and purified the principal constituent of umami, which is glutamate.

In 1909, he and a business partner began to produce MSG in powder form as a seasoning for food. Called Ajinomoto, it was marketed to upper class Japanese housewives as a nutritious supplement. It spread to Taiwan and then China, which started its own production of it. Today China is the leading producer of MSG, exporting to countries worldwide.

MSG is used in a countless array of foods – including snacks, condiments, seasoning blends, soups, frozen meals, processed meats, and salad dressings. As such, it’s in high demand. Unfortunately, the worldwide supply chain gridlock affecting countless goods also affects the spice and seasoning trade.

Food processors/manufacturers looking for an MSG replacement can find a solution with LifeWise SimplySavor, a natural flavor modifier. SimplySavor is suitable for many applications, including those listed above. It enhances savory flavors, boosts overall flavor, provides flavor retention and is all natural.

Like other LifeWise flavor systems, SimplySavor is free of allergen-label requirements with no added MSG, HVP, gluten, soy nucleotides, yeast or other common allergenic ingredients. It’s manufactured in full compliance with FSMA of 2011, is SQF certified, GFSI Standard-certified, FEDA registered, audited and approved and is certified kosher.