Origins MSG is nothing new, in fact, the Japanese professor Ikeda discovered the amino acid Glutamate in the early 20th century while eating soup. He began studying kelp, which was in the soup’s broth to figure out why the broth was so tasty and appealing. He soon realized that kelp, along with many other foods, contains naturally occurring glutamate (L-glutamic acid), and, by combining it with sodium, MSG was created. In 1909, Professor Ikeda filed a patent to produce MSG commercially, and thus began it’s shady journey to popularity in our food supply chain to this day. What is it? MSG is odorless and tasteless alone, but when added to…