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Unveiling the Crystaline Essence: A Culinary Exploration of MSG's Structure and Flavor-Enhancing Magic

| Mon, Dec 04, 2023, 7:31 AM



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Since my last post was about salts, I wanted to further my research in this area. Living in China, a key component of Chinese cooking is monosodium glutamate (MSG). Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to explore this under the foldscope. 



MSG under 140x magnification using fold1 mounted on a glass slide

MSG has a crystalline structure, appearing as crystalline tubes. Even under the naked eye, you can clearly see the tubelike structure of MSG. The crystals reflect and refract light strongly due to their ordered molecular structure. The crystals are semi transparent, allowing light to pass through them somewhat and illuminate internal structures. They also appear to partially sparkle under the microscope. The crystal surfaces also look smooth and flat to a great extent and you can see faint striations or lines on the surfaces where molecular layers are stacked. Since this picture was taken under the 140x with foldscope 1, and I didn’t have a 50x lens, I decided to be a little old school and use the magnifier on the LED light source to see the crystals a little more clearly. This did not give any new findings, but just made my experiment more holistic. 

Since I am interested in MSG because I really like cooking, I was wondering how these structure properties, if at all, impact the taste of MSG. Like salt, As a crystalline solid, MSG dissolves readily in water or other aqueous liquids. Its crystalline structure allows it to easily break apart into individual molecules when exposed to moisture.This solubility means it readily mixes into foods and distributes evenly during cooking when added to sauces, marinades, etc. It disperses at a molecular level. On a molecular level, MSG enhances umami flavor because its glutamate ions are able to bind to umami taste receptor cells on the tongue. This crystalline structure enables the individual glutamate ions to detach readily for receptor binding. Unlike popular belief that MSG makes the food thicker or more gooey, Its molecular structure allows it to integrate invisibly.doesn't substantially alter the texture, appearance or cooking properties of foods when used in recommended amounts. This penetration at a molecular level is part of what gives MSG its potent flavor-enhancing ability even when used in small amounts distributed throughout a dish.

Overall, exploring MSG under Foldscope opened windows into its hidden structure and my growing understanding of food science. An illuminating experience which only whet my appetite for more kitchen experiments ahead.



Sources

https://byjus.com/chemistry/monosodium-glutamate/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-023-00178-2
https://crystallography365.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/enhancing-flavour-molecule-by-molecule-msg/

https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=1orEWdgIupVLDHrdDS26 (reference for my last post)




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Categories

Type of Sample
nonliving
Foldscope Lens Magnification
140x

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