Flavor EnhancersFlavorings either a particular flavor to foods or modify flavors already present. Flavor enhancers intensify flavors already present, especially when the desirable flavors are relatively weak. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is one of the best known and most widely used flavor enhancers. This compound occurs naturally in many foods and in certain seaweed that was used for centuries as a flavor enhancer for soups and other foods.
It is only within the last hundred years that the reason for the effectiveness of the seaweed was discovered to be MSG. The way in which MSG enhances flavor is not yet fully understood. While it is effective at relatively low levels (part per thousands), there are other compounds called flavor potentiators that also enhance flavors but are extremely powerful, effective in parts per million and even per billion. These compounds have been identified as nucleotides, and their effect is attributed to their synergies properties (properties that intensify that effect of natural flavor components).
Flavor Enhancers
