When cooking or making soup, many people will habitually sprinkle a handful of chicken essence to improve freshness, but some people think it is not healthy.
So, what is the real situation? Let’s talk to you today.
What is chicken essence?
Although there is a word "chicken" in chicken essence, it is not actually what we imagined - simply using chicken or chicken soup to concentrate.
The main ingredient of chicken essence is actually another seasoning we are familiar with - MSG, that is, sodium glutamate .
According to the industry standards for making chicken essence, the content of MSG in chicken essence accounts for about 40% of the total components, while the other 60% are composed of additives such as edible salt, white sugar, chicken/chicken bone powder.
From the perspective of ingredients alone, whether it is chicken essence or MSG, it does not have any obvious harm to the human body.
Because, as the main component of chicken essence and MSG, sodium glutamate is actually fermented, extracted and refined by pure grains. It is widely present in many natural foods such as grapes, tomatoes, and kelp.
WHO has long classified MSG into the category of "safeiest substances".
And it can increase the umami flavor of food, stimulate taste buds, improve appetite loss and other problems.
plus sodium glutamate is beneficial to patients with chronic hepatitis, hepatic encephalopathy, neurasthenia, epilepsy, gastric acid deficiency, and other diseases.
Therefore, it is not a bad thing to use chicken essence rationally.
Tips
According to reports, sodium glutamate will be converted into pyrogenic sodium glutamate when cooking at high temperature for too long, thus having a carcinogenic effect.
In fact, this is a misreading.
Studies have shown that high temperature does convert sodium glutamate into sodium pyroglutamate, but this ratio is very small and has a minimal impact on the human body. Therefore, the statement that "high temperature makes MSG cancerous" does not hold true.
What is the "danger" of chicken essence?
Whether it is MSG or chicken essence, although its safety is not flawed, excessive use will still cause some minor troubles to health.
The reason lies in the "sodium" in chicken essence/MSG.
As we all know, the main ingredient of salt is sodium chloride . The "salt limit" we usually advocate is essentially limiting "sodium".
The main ingredient of MSG and chicken essence is sodium glutamate, which is also a major "sodium storage".
According to the recommendations of the "Diet Guide for Chinese Residents (2022)" and " Chinese Residents Dietary Nutrient Reference Intake ", the daily salt intake of adults should not exceed 5 grams, which is approximately equivalent to 2000 mg of sodium.
The following list of the nutritional ingredients of a certain brand of chicken essence as an example, among which 1050 mg of sodium is contained in every 5 grams of chicken essence.
So, if you like to put chicken essence, salt, etc. together when cooking, it is easy to cause sodium intake to exceed the standard, which is naturally not good for health.
Tips
Chicken essence contains nucleotide , and its metabolite is uric acid, so people suffering from gout should reduce their intake in moderation, and the amount per person should not consume more than 6 grams per day.
How to use chicken essence/MSG correctly?
Chicken essence/MSG is not a necessary seasoning for cooking, but it can still add color to the dishes if used properly.
Because sodium glutamate will be converted into a substance without umami in alkaline solution and has a bad smell; in acidic solution, it is not easy to dissolve and has a certain inhibitory effect on the sour taste.
Therefore, should not use MSG for sweet and sour dishes and sour soup dishes.
In addition, the optimal concentration of sodium glutamate is 0.2%~0.5%, and the optimal dissolution temperature is 70℃~90℃.
Therefore, in order to ensure the taste of the dish, it is best to add MSG when the dish or soup is about to be released from the pot, so that the MSG can be quickly dissolved in the soup and produce a umami flavor.
When mixing cold dishes, you should first dissolve the MSG with a small amount of hot water, and then mix it into the dish.
There is no need to add MSG to dishes containing more sodium glutamate and have excellent umami flavor (such as scrambled eggs, dishes stewed with chicken or seafood, dishes cooked with broth). Otherwise, it will not only be wasted, but will also affect the natural umami flavor of the dish.
Source: Popular Science China, Human Health, Health China
Editor: Zhuhai Market Supervision Team
Statement: Copyright belongs to the original author. If there is any infringement, please contact the backend and we will process
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