Editing Glutamic acid (section)

==History==
{{Main|Glutamic acid (flavor)}}
Although they occur naturally in many foods, the flavor contributions made by glutamic acid and other amino acids were only scientifically identified early in the 20th century. The substance was discovered and identified in the year 1866 by the German chemist [[Karl Heinrich Ritthausen]], who treated wheat [[gluten]] (for which it was named) with [[sulfuric acid]].<ref>{{cite book |author= [[R. H. A. Plimmer]] |editor1=R. H. A. Plimmer |editor2=F. G. Hopkins |title= The Chemical Constitution of the Protein |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=7JM8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA114 |access-date= June 3, 2012 |edition= 2nd |series= Monographs on biochemistry |volume= Part I. Analysis |orig-year= 1908 |year= 1912 |publisher= Longmans, Green and Co. |location= London |page= 114}}</ref> In 1908, Japanese researcher [[Kikunae Ikeda]] of the [[Tokyo Imperial University]] identified brown crystals left behind after the evaporation of a large amount of [[kombu]] broth as glutamic acid. These crystals, when tasted, reproduced the novel flavor he detected in many foods, most especially in seaweed. Professor Ikeda termed this flavor [[umami]]. He then patented a method of mass-producing a crystalline salt of glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,,1522368,00.html |title = If MSG is so bad for you, why doesn't everyone in Asia have a headache? |newspaper = [[The Guardian]] |last = Renton |first = Alex |date = 2005-07-10 |access-date= 2008-11-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.jpo.go.jp/seido_e/rekishi_e/kikunae_ikeda.htm |title = Kikunae Ikeda Sodium Glutamate |date = 2002-10-07 |access-date = 2008-11-21 |publisher = [[Japan Patent Office]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071028131520/http://www.jpo.go.jp/seido_e/rekishi_e/kikunae_ikeda.htm |archive-date = 2007-10-28 |url-status = dead}}</ref>