Glutamic acid

Description

Glutamic acid may be found in almost all protein compounds and is particularly plentiful in soy protein, certain algae, cereals or meat. The crystalline glutamic acid is required by the human body for the formation of protein. It possesses a naturally flavour-enhancing effect.

• Different salts of the glutamic acid are also approved as flavour enhancer: monosodium glutamate (E 621), monopotassium glutamate (E 622), calcium diglutamate (E 623), monoammonium glutamate (E 624), magnesium diglutamate (E 625).

Application

Glutamic acid is an amino acid. Its salts, known as glutamates, mainly are used as flavour enhancers in many food products:

• 90 per cent of glutamic acid produced is processed to sodium glutamate and used in the food processing industry as a flavour enhancer (see also: glutamate).

Gene technology

A variety of processes exist for the industrial manufacture of glutamic acid. However, biotechnical procedures have gained significance.

• In the case of biotechnical processing, it may be assumed that genetically modified micro-organisms (Corynebacterium glutamicus) have been employed. Global market leaders in glutamic acid are Japanese concerns. Details on the organisms and their genetic properties used in Japanese production are not generally known.
• As is the case with all processes of fermentation, the employed micro-organisms utilise specific nutrients. These may be starch or glucose, for example, and derived from genetically modified plants such as maize.

Labelling: Additives that have been produced with the aid of genetically modified micro-organisms in closed systems need not be labelled as such, provided that the additive has been purified and contains no micro-organisms.

If the employed micro-organisms have received nutrients (substrate) from genetically modified plants, the additive remains exempt from labelling.