Names of ingredients that contain processed free glutamic acid (MSG)

Everyone knows that some people get reactions after eating the food ingredient monosodium glutamate --reactions that include migraine headaches, upset stomach, fuzzy thinking, diarrhea, heart irregularities, asthma, and/or mood swings. What many don’t know, is that more than 40 different ingredients contain the chemical in monosodium glutamate (processed free glutamic acid) that causes these reactions. The following list of ingredients that contain processed free glutamic acid has been compiled over the last 20 years from consumers’ reports of adverse reactions and information provided by manufacturers and food technologists.

Names of ingredients that always contain processed free glutamic acid:

Glutamic acid (E 620)², Glutamate (E 620)

Monosodium glutamate (E 621)

Monopotassium glutamate (E 622)

Calcium glutamate (E 623)

Monoammonium glutamate (E 624)

Magnesium glutamate (E 625)

Natrium glutamate

Yeast extract

Anything “hydrolyzed”

Any “hydrolyzed protein”

Calcium caseinate, Sodium caseinate

Yeast food, Yeast nutrient

Autolyzed yeast

Gelatin

Textured protein

Soy protein, soy protein concentrate

Soy protein isolate

Whey protein, whey protein concentrate

Whey protein isolate

Anything “…protein”

Vetsin

Ajinomoto

Names of ingredients that often contain or produce processed free glutamic acid:

Carrageenan (E 407)

Bouillon and broth

Stock

Any “flavors” or “flavoring”

Maltodextrin

Citric acid, Citrate (E 330)

Anything “ultra-pasteurized”

Barley malt

Pectin (E 440)

Protease

Anything “enzyme modified”

Anything containing “enzymes”

Malt extract

Soy sauce

Soy sauce extract

Anything “protein fortified”

Anything “fermented”

Seasonings

(1) Glutamic acid found in unadulterated protein does not cause adverse reactions. To cause adverse reactions, the glutamic acid must have been processed/manufactured or come from protein that has been fermented.

The information provided here was last updated in February of 2011.