Comparison of Free Glutamate Content of Condiments and Seasonings between those Manufactured from Thailand and Germany

Authors

  • Naruemon Wechjakwen Faculty of Public Health, Nakhonratchasima Rajabhat University, Thailand.
  • Jennifer Musiol Department of Food ∙ Nutrition ∙ Facilities, FH Münster University of Applied Sciences, Germany.
  • Ursula Bordewick-Dell Department of Food ∙ Nutrition ∙ Facilities, FH Münster University of Applied Sciences, Germany.
  • Karunee Kwanbunjan Department of Tropical Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Thailand.

Keywords:

Free glutamate, Condiment, Flavor enhancer, Cultural foods, Food additive

Abstract

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), the sodium salt of glutamic acid, is used as a flavor-enhancing additive worldwide. The negative side effects of consuming MSG and the level at which they occur are controversial. This study therefore aims to determine the level of free glutamate content in 13 German and 14 Thai condiments randomly selected from local markets. The glutamate levels were determined in three replicates, using Enzymatic Bio Analysis and spectrophotometry. Samples included condiment sauce (thick, thin and sweet black soy sauce, fish sauce and sour sauce), ketchup (tomato and chili), flavor enhancers and lovage. The average glutamate content was higher in German condiments (3,491.67±1520.28 mg/100 g) than in Thai (1,872.22±572.60 mg/100 g) condiments. The most popular German products, condiment sauces and tomato ketchup, contained 8,416.67±144.34 and 226.00±8.22 mg glutamate/100 g, respectively, whereas the most popular in Thailand were condiment sauces and fish sauce, containing 2,533.33±115.47 and 741.67±14.43 mg glutamate/100 g, respectively. In Germany, tomato salad is frequently consumed with a glutamate content of 443.81 mg per serving, while in Thailand, red curry contains 113.33 mg glutamate per serving. Our study found that the glutamate content in different German and Thai commercial condiments and seasonings could reveal the daily consumption of glutamate. The difference in the levels of glutamate between the two countries depends on the product processing, local ingredients and food consumption behaviors.

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Published

2025-06-25

How to Cite

Wechjakwen, N., Musiol, J., Bordewick-Dell, U., & Kwanbunjan, K. (2025). Comparison of Free Glutamate Content of Condiments and Seasonings between those Manufactured from Thailand and Germany. Journal of Nutrition Association of Thailand (Online), 60(1), 80–95. retrieved from https://he01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/JNAT/article/view/272576

Issue

Vol. 60 No. 1 (2025): January-June

Section

Research article

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