Does chicken broth hide a secret ingredient that is harmful to your health?

Commonly in Mexican kitchens, an ingredient that most home cooks have on hand is chicken broth cube to season food, but do you know what it is made of?

What are the ingredients in chicken broth?

According to the modification to the food labeling standard, the first ingredients must appear in order from highest to lowest weight in the food, that is, the first ingredient appears in the largest quantity and the last in the smallest quantity in the product.

Knorr Swiss brand chicken bouillon cubes state on their website that the package of 8 chicken bouillon cubes contains salt, monosodium glutamate, palm oil, corn starch, hydrogenated palm oil, sugar, xanthan gum, chicken fat, natural flavor, water, turmeric (as a colorant), disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, maltodextrin, dehydrated parsley, spices, caramel color and TBHQ (used to protect quality).

This places chicken fat in seventh place on the list of ingredients, well below salt and monosodium glutamate, which top the list.

What is monosodium glutamate?

Monosodium glutamate is a food additive that is added to foods as a table seasoning as a flavor enhancer, generating a flavor called “umami” that is salty, similar to meat or broth, and that emulates the natural monosodium glutamate found in protein-rich foods.

Is MSG safe?

Although the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have classified monosodium glutamate as a safe ingredient, its use is still debated, as many people have attributed reactions such as:

• Headache
• Redness
• Sweating
• Pressure or tightness in the face
• Numbness, tingling, or burning in the face, neck, and other areas
• Rapid, fluttering heartbeat
• Chest pain
• Feeling nauseous
• Weakness

However, although some people may be sensitive to MSG, no direct relationship has been demonstrated between its presence and negative effects.