Lee

May 15, 2009 at 12:59pm

I've just peeked at the pizza dough flavoring nutritional information on your website and was very, very sad to see that the first ingredient is "autolyzed yeast extract". That is just another name for MSG (monodsodium glutamate) which is one of those ingredients that so many people have problems with. (check out truthinlabeling.org for a complete list of MSG names in food labels) Lee, while autolyzed yeast extract and MSG derive from the same source (inactive yeast), they're not the same thing. That said, folks who are allergic to MSG may experience the same symptoms with AYE; as well as with other free-glutamate-producing foods, such as peas, corn, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, etc. Thanks for pointing this out. PJH Lee, here's what our test kitchen director, Sue Gray, has to say: AYE is a flavoring made from dead yeast cells. It does contain free glutamate. It is not the same thing as MSG. Autolyzed yeast is a dough relaxer and gives flavor; we're not trying to hide MSG. Autolyzed yeast or autolyzed yeast extract consists of concentrations of yeast cells that are allowed to die and break up, so that the yeasts' digestive enzymes break their proteins down into simpler compounds. Glutamate is an amino acid, found in all protein-containing foods. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. This amino acid is one of the most abundant and important components of proteins. Glutamate occurs naturally in protein-containing foods such as cheese, milk, mushrooms, meat, fish, and many vegetables. Glutamate is also produced by the human body and is vital for metabolism and brain function.
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