# Msg

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg/107100>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 3, 2002, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg/107100 "2002-05-03T17:03:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![horhay\_achoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@horhay\_achoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horhay_achoa)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg/107100/1 "2002-05-03T17:03:11Z")

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I heard that MSG was fermented molasses. Anyone know if that’s true. I don’t know if I believe it.

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**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg/107100/2 "2002-05-03T17:17:29Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> MSG is made by a fermenting process using starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses.

[http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/msg.html](http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/msg.html)

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**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg/107100/3 "2002-05-04T05:11:19Z")

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Originally, Asian cooks added seaweed to many foods while cooking because they found it enhanced the natural flavors of meat and vegetables. In 19C Japan (IIRC), they found the substance responsible and started to extract it from seaweed. Today, it’s fermented from other materials as **Attrayant** says.

Some people have a hang up because of the long, scary sounding chemical name. The Chinese just call it “flavor essence” or something like that.

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**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg/107100/4 "2002-05-04T11:21:23Z")

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The Japanese word ajinomoto translates to “essence of flavour”. Ajinomoto Co Inc is also the name of the worlds largest producer of free glutamate, something over 500,000MT per annum