Hydrolised Vegetable Protein

[soyabean]

Does anyone know if hydrolised vegetable protein has any health risks associated with it?
I saw it as an ingredient in lots of vegetable stock concentrate, and wondered if it was bad for you (I guess the name reminded me of hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is pretty bad for you)

[Seaside]

Yes! That is just one of the many sneaky and dishonest names for MSG, monosodium glutamate, which is a very dangerous food additive. Stay away from it!

[Mystic]

Thanx Seaside - that is really good to know. MSG is NASTY

[Pob]

Technically it is vegetable proteins, rearranged in a lab to be organised like animal proteins - this is then added to food to make it taste like meat.

They add MSG to make the taste go further.

It's in fake meats, gravies, processed foods.

[Seaside]

Technically it is vegetable proteins, rearranged in a lab to be organised like animal proteins - this is then added to food to make it taste like meat.

They add MSG to make the taste go further.

It's in fake meats, gravies, processed foods.

I think you are describing textured vegetable protein, which is different from hydrolyzed vegetable protein. Textured vegetable protein is used to produce meat facsimiles. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is used in hundreds of food products. It is easy to get them mixed up, which is exactly what Ajinomoto wants us to do!

"Monosodium glutamate can generally be produced by three methods: (1) hydrolysis of proteins such as gluten or proteins present in sugar beet wastes, (2) synthesis, and (3) microbial fermentation. In the hydrolysis method, the protein is hydrolyzed with a strong mineral acid to free amino acids, and the glutamic acid is then separated from the mixture, purified, and converted to its monosodium salt, [monosodium glutamate]. " (Leung, A. and Foster, S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs , and Cosmetics. New York: Wiley, 1996. pp 373-375.)

While the glutamic acid in "monosodium glutamate" is generally produced through bacterial fermentation, the glutamic acid in the other MSG-containing ingredients is made through use of chemicals (hydrolysis or autolysis), enzymes (enzymolysis), fermentation, or a complex cooking process wherein reaction flavors are produced from a combination of specific amino acids, reducing sugars, animal or vegetable fats or oils, and optional ingredients including hydrolyzed vegetable protein.

In acid hydrolysis, crude gluten or other proteinaceous starting materials are generally hydrolyzed by heating with hydrochloric acid. The chemical hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid is said to be efficient, but almost any organic substance in the raw material is hydrolyzed, resulting in desired reactions such as hydrolysis of proteins, carbohydrates, fats (triglycerides), and the unwanted formation of mono and dichloro propanols, which are carcinogenic. The FDA has admitted, and even pretended to address the fact, that processed free glutamic acid created by acid hydrolysis contains carcinogenic mono and dichloro propanol ( Food Chemical News, December 2, 1996. Pp.24-25).

[Pob]

This was what I understood it to be:

http://www.wholehealthmd.com/print/v...,AQ_34,00.html

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) (sometimes referred to as Hydrolyzed Plant Protein) is widely used in the food industry as a savory flavoring agent to bring out the natural flavors in food. A chemical process called acid hydrolysis breaks down protein into amino acids from various food sources (corn, wheat, soybeans, cottonseed). Food scientists discovered that the protein in certain vegetables could be broken down and re-arranged to simulate the taste of meats. While there are numerous variations, generally, two basic types of HVP are used: light, which is used in poultry, pork, and vegetable products, and dark, which is used in broths, sauces, gravies, meats, stews. Many foods contain HVP, including processed foods such as bouillon, soup, sauce mixes, gravy, crackers, chips, instant soups, processed meat, frankfurters. If you are sensitive to monosodiumglutamate (MSG), it is important to note that some companies add MSG to Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein products.

[Pob]

Your highlighting seems to be about making MSG - it says that the MSG is removed and purified.

I do agree that it should be noted that MSG is a part of HVP, but it is not the sole ingredient.

[Seaside]

I thought that the process of hydrolysis acting upon the protein was what made it hydrolyzed protein, and that this is for the purpose of extracting the amino acid glutamine, which has reacted with the acid to form glutamate. Is the protein a by-product of the MSG formation, do you think? Now I am confused.
But I have read that the term "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" is used to camouflage the presence of MSG in foods, much as the total sugar % in a food is camouflaged by calling it dextrose, glucose, maltose, high-fructose corn-syrup, etc. It was developed to fool people trying to avoid foods with MSG in them. But this is in the USA. Maybe its different in the UK.

[Pob]

I agree that they are hiding the MSG in many cases, but HVP is a distinct product.

According to what I can find, the HVP typically contains 10-30% MSG.
Obviously this doesn't mean that using HVP in a product instead means you are getting less MSG - they can just use more.

On the flip side there are those other nasty chemicals in HVP, that wouldn't be present in pure MSG

I watch my sodium intake quite carefully, so even though I do eat some foods with HVP in, I avoid products with high levels of MSG.