Glutamate allergy also contained in protein foods

Natural glutamate is often not recognizable in food
Whether in Asian food, ready meals, crisps or sauces: The additive glutamate is still present in many foods. Often, however, there is no corresponding indication on the packaging, which can quickly lead to allergic reactions in people with a glutamate intolerance. It is also difficult that glutamate can also be used in natural foods, e.g. in cheese or tomatoes.
Numerous ready meals and frozen meals contain the salts
The flavor carrier glutamate is used in numerous ready-to-eat and frozen meals as well as spice blends and seasoning sauces, in Asian countries it is even available as a normal seasoning on the table. However, the white powder has been under close scrutiny for some time, as critics suspect a connection to nervous diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's at high doses. In addition, in the case of a glutamate intolerance ("Chinarestaurant syndrome") it can lead to allergy-like symptoms such as Dry mouth, tingling or numbness in the oral cavity, itching in the throat, palpitations, headaches, body aches and nausea come.

Gluten can be contained in certain foods. Image: Printemps - fotolia

Glutamate in tomatoes does not have to be declared
Accordingly, many people try to consume as little glutamate as possible - but that is more difficult than expected. For the most commonly used monosodium glutamate are the salts of non-essential glutamic acid which are naturally present in small quantities, e.g. in tomatoes or all protein-containing foods. If the glutamate in this form and not as an additive contained in a food, but it must not be listed in the list of ingredients, explains Carolin Eckert from TÜV Süd to the news agency "dpa".

Up to 1.7 grams a day are normal in Asia
The consumer can therefore be so careful - he often does not notice that hidden in his food glutamate. Also, foods labeled "without the addition of flavor enhancers" might, according to the expert, contain small amounts of powder, e.g. Yeast extract or tomatoes are indicated on the packaging. But this does not usually pose a risk, because even a glutamate-rich diet would, according to the Association for Independent Health Care e. V. (UGB) only reaches the amount that is normal in Asian countries. This would consume about 1.2-1.7 grams of flavor enhancer per day - from a special accumulation of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's cases, however, in China or Japan, nothing is known, according to the UGB. (No)