Monosodium glutamate vs Sodium chloride: what is the difference?

How they differ

Both are sodium salts that a cook reaches for, and they trigger different taste receptors. Sodium chloride is read as salty by ion channels responding to the sodium itself; monosodium glutamate is read as umami by a receptor that detects the glutamate half, and the sodium is incidental. MSG carries roughly a third of the sodium of table salt for the same weight, since most of its mass is the glutamate. Glutamate is one of the twenty standard amino acids and is present naturally in tomatoes, parmesan, soy sauce and mushrooms, so the taste is not novel even where the ingredient is. The reported oral LD50 for table salt is 3000 mg/kg in rats, higher than several substances people treat with more caution.

Side by side

Common questions

What is the difference between Monosodium glutamate and Sodium chloride?

Both are sodium salts that a cook reaches for, and they trigger different taste receptors. Sodium chloride is read as salty by ion channels responding to the sodium itself; monosodium glutamate is read as umami by a receptor that detects the glutamate half, and the sodium is incidental. MSG carries roughly a third of the sodium of table salt for the same weight, since most of its mass is the glutamate.

Is Monosodium glutamate bigger than Sodium chloride?

Monosodium glutamate is the heavier molecule, 169.11 g/mol against 58.44 g/mol for Sodium chloride. Monosodium glutamate is C5H8NNaO4 and Sodium chloride is ClNa.