Page 77 - Spring2008

Not so, assuming that the Ajinomoto BAD SCIENCE
representative is referring to unadulterated, McLaughlin also stated that “. . . many studies have found that MSG
unprocessed, unfermented food when referring doesn’t cause ill effects.” However, the fact is that peer-reviewed published
to food. Glutamic acid found in unadulterated, epidemiological studies have concluded that more than 25 percent of the
unprocessed, unfermented food that contains pro- population experiences adverse reactions to MSG.

tein is only L-glutamic acid, while the glutamic It is only badly flawed glutamate-industry-sponsored studies that
acid found in our processed food supply always pretend to have found no more adverse reactions due to MSG than due to
contains contaminants (including D-glutamic placebos (studies in which they used aspartame—which is about 40 percent
acid), some of which likely may contribute to the aspartic acid—or an MSG-containing ingredient in the placebos). Neu-
2
majority, if not all, of the adverse reactions that roscientists have found, in animal studies, that aspartic acid and glutamic
MSG-sensitive people experience. (See www. acid load on the same receptors in the brain, cause identical brain lesions
truthinlabeling.org/manufac.html for further and neuroendocrine disorders, and act in an additive fashion. Based on
3
detail.) reports to the Truth in Labeling Campaign and a review of reports to the

SINISTER MIX

Senomyx is a young biotechnology company based in San Diego that creates chemicals for the food and beverage
industry to trick the taste buds into sensing a flavor, such as sweet or salty, when it is not really there. Quite different from
developing artificial flavors that aim to mimic real flavors—a technology usually cursed with miserable failures—Senomyx’s
research focuses solely on discovering chemicals that turn receptors that monitor taste on and off in the mouth. Using
information from the human genome sequence, Senomyx has identified hundreds of taste receptors and currently owns
113 patents on their discoveries. Senomyx collaborates with seven of the world’s largest food companies to further their
research and to fund development of their technology. Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kraft Foods, Cadbury Schweppes, Campbell
Soup Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Firmenich SA, Nestlé SA, and Solae all collaborate with Senomyx, but decline
to specify where its additives may be found in their many food categories.
Senomyx’s products work by amplifying the intensity of other flavors, such as the salt in Campbell’s soups. The soup
maker can reduce the amount of sodium in each can by about one third with the addition of Senomyx’s chemical, and
then proudly label the soup “low sodium.” Because very small amounts of the additive are used (reportedly less than 1 part
per million) Senomyx’s chemical compounds will not appear on labels, but will fall under the broad category of “artificial
flavors.” For the same reason, the company’s chemicals have sped past the FDA’s safety approval process usually required
for food additives. Senomyx’s MSG-enhancer earned the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status from the Flavor and
Extract Manufacturers Association, an industry-funded organization, in less than 18 months, which included three months
of tests on rats. With public health officials calling for consumers to limit salt and sugar in foods, food manufacturers are
scrambling to find ways to reformulate their concoctions with less of the two ingredients they depend upon most for mass
taste appeal. Collaboration with Senomyx seems to be the magic bullet: a sodium- and sugar-reduced product with no
taste change, and a politically correct “cleaned up” label.
With questions of future safety of the additives now left largely up to chance, Senomyx’s concoctions are quietly finding
their way into the global packaged food stream. In fact, according to Senomyx’s website, it “received a positive review by
the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, which determined that there were no safety concerns with the
use of the Company’s savory flavor ingredients in foods. The positive assessment by JECFA is expected to expedite regula-
tory approvals in a number of countries, particularly those that do not have independent regulatory approval systems.”
Two of Senomyx’s newest innovations include a Cool Flavor Program, which enhances cooling, menthol sensations,
and a Bitter Blocker Program. According to Senomyx’s website, the company is collaborating with Solae, the international
soy ingredients supplier, “to develop new bitter blockers that better modulate and control bitterness in certain soy-based
products.” Senomyx has identified the receptors in the mouth responsible for sensing bitter taste (nature’s way of warning
us against ingesting poison) and developed a chemical additive to knock out these receptors when eaten with hydrolyzed
soy protein and other soy derivatives.
Senomyx’s revenues for the last quarter of 2007 were up 87 percent from the same period in 2006, stock prices are
rising and the corporate outlook for 2008 is glowing. CEO Kent Snyder reports that corporate goals include “continu-
ing to achieve significant progress in all of our discovery and development programs such as regulatory approval for our
S2383 sucralose enhancer and selection of a sucrose enhancer for regulatory development. We also expect expanded
commercialization of food products containing our savory flavor ingredients and additional new business development
accomplishments.”
Sources: http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12053; http://www.senomyx.com/news/
SPRING 2008 Wise Traditions 77