科普小知識 味精對人的身體並沒有害處大綱
Is MSG really that bad for you, or is it a myth like the bogeyman?
味精真的對人身體有害嗎？還是隻是一個可怕的傳說？MSG is a flavor enhancer that turns up the savory and meaty taste known as "umami", which is the fifth basic taste alongside sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, and can be found in foods like mushrooms, anchovies, and aged cheeses.
味精是一種提味劑，它能增加香味和肉味--也就是與酸甜苦鹹並存的第五大味道：鮮味。蘑菇、鳳尾魚和陳年奶酪等食物中都能找到這種味道。This flavor enhancement comes from the glutamate in MSG, which is naturally present in our bodies and plays a key role in the metabolism of major nutrients and aids in the reconstruction of body proteins.
這種口味來自於味精中的穀氨酸，它自然存在於我們的身體中，在主要營養物質的新陳代謝和幫助重建身體的蛋白質中起着關鍵作用。
It's also in a ton of food items like meat, dairy products like cheese, seaweed, and certain produce items like tomatoes and mushrooms.
另外，這種氨基酸也存在於許多日常食物中，如乳酪、海藻，以及像西紅柿和蘑菇這樣的農產品裏。
The use of MSG as a flavor enhancer was discovered in 1908 by a Japanese professor named Kikunae Ikeda, who was able to extract glutamate from the popular Asian dish seaweed broth and realized that glutamate was responsible for its savory flavor.
味精作爲風味增強劑的使用，是1908年由日本的池田菊苗教授發現的。他從受歡迎的亞洲菜海帶湯中提取出了穀氨酸，意識到了它就是鮮味的來源。Professor Ikeda then filed a patent to commercially produce MSG, and the rest is history.
池田教授隨後申請了一項商業化生產味精的專利，剩下的都是歷史了。Though today, MSG isn't exclusively extracted from seaweed broth. Instead, it's produced in a specialized fermentation process.
不過，現在的味精並不都是從海藻湯中提取的。相反，它是在專門的發酵工藝中產生的。And it bears noting that the glutamate in MSG is chemically the same as the glutamate in food proteins, so our bodies process both the same way.
值得注意的是，味精中的穀氨酸和食物蛋白質中的穀氨酸在化學上是一樣的，所以我們的身體會以相同的方式消化它。So if MSG is so widespread and already in our bodies naturally, why do so many people avoid it?
因此，如果味精這樣的普遍，並且已在我們的身體中天然存在，那我們爲什麼要排斥它呢？
