Identification of Monosodium Glutamate Contents as a Flavor Enhancer in Different Food Samples by HPLC Technique

Monosodium glutamate is a food additive that gives sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness tastes together. In the present study, a simple and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet spectrophotometer detector method was developed for the determination of monosodium glutamate in both dried and moist food samples. This method was carried out on different eleven food samples including potato chips, soups, and vegetable concentrates from the local market in Jordan. The approach was based on the derivatization step of MSG with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. A good chromatographic separation is obtained by using a 5-micro meter particle size octadecyl column and one-to-one methanol: water mixture as mobile phase. The results in the calibration curve were linear with a correlation coefficient R2 was 0.9533. The tested food samples contained various MSG contents (the highest content was in the Mexicana chips sample 353 ± 7 ppm). The contents of monosodium glutamate in most investigated food samples were between 170 and 350 ppm. These contents are allowed according to the general standards of the codex Alimentarius Commission for food additives.