MSG vs. Salt — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 17, 2024
MSG (monosodium glutamate) enhances umami flavors in food, while salt primarily adds saltiness and preserves food.
Difference Between MSG and Salt
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a flavor enhancer known for its ability to intensify the meaty, savory flavor of food without adding a distinct taste. On the other hand, salt, chemically known as sodium chloride, is primarily used to enhance the overall flavor profile of food and has a critical role in food preservation.
While MSG is often associated with Asian cuisines and processed foods to boost umami, salt is ubiquitous in cooking and seasoning across all cuisines worldwide. Salt also plays a crucial role in maintaining the proper mineral balance in the human body and food preservation.
MSG is a single sodium atom attached to glutamate, an amino acid that is naturally found in many foods such as tomatoes and cheese. Whereas salt consists of sodium and chloride ions, which are essential for life but need to be consumed in moderation.
The production of MSG involves fermenting starches, a process similar to the creation of yogurt or vinegar. In contrast, salt is either mined from salt deposits or evaporated from seawater or saltwater lakes.
Comparison Chart
Composition
Sodium and glutamate
Sodium and chloride
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Primary Use
Flavor enhancer (umami)
Flavor enhancement and preservation
Common in
Asian cuisines, processed foods
All cuisines, general seasoning
Health Concerns
Myths of headaches, largely debunked
Linked to high blood pressure
Production Process
Fermentation of starches
Mined or evaporated from water
Compare with Definitions
Msg
A flavor enhancer that increases the umami taste.
MSG is often added to soups to make them more savory.
Salt
Composed of sodium and chloride.
The chemical makeup of table salt is sodium chloride.
Msg
Found in natural form in tomatoes and cheeses.
The MSG in tomatoes enhances their appeal in sauces.
Salt
Can cause health issues if consumed excessively.
Overconsumption of salt can lead to hypertension.
Msg
Subject to myths about health effects.
Contrary to popular belief, most studies show MSG is safe for consumption.
Salt
A mineral essential for life, often used as a condiment.
Salt is added to dishes to bring out the flavors.
Msg
Used extensively in Asian cooking.
Many Asian restaurants use MSG to enhance the flavor of dishes.
Salt
Used in food preservation.
Salt is crucial in curing meats and preserving pickles.
Msg
Produced through fermentation.
The production of MSG is similar to that of yogurt.
Salt
Obtained through mining or evaporation.
Sea salt is harvested by evaporating seawater.
Msg
Abbreviation of message
Salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantities in seawater.
Msg
(uncommon) message
Salt
A usually whitish crystalline solid, chiefly sodium chloride, used extensively in ground or granulated form as a food seasoning and preservative. Also called common salt, table salt.
Msg
See monosodium glutamate.
Salt
An ionic chemical compound formed by replacing all or part of the hydrogen ions of an acid with metal ions or other cations.
Msg
White crystalline compound used as a food additive to enhance flavor; often used in Chinese cooking
Salt
Salts Any of various mineral salts used as laxatives or cathartics.
Salt
Salts Smelling salts.
Salt
Often salts Epsom salts.
Salt
An element that gives flavor or zest.
Salt
Sharp lively wit.
Salt
(Informal) A sailor, especially when old or experienced.
Salt
A saltcellar.
Salt
Containing or filled with salt
A salt spray.
Salt tears.
Salt
Having a salty taste or smell
Breathed the salt air.
Salt
Preserved in salt or a salt solution
Salt mackerel.
Salt
Flooded with seawater.
Salt
Found in or near such a flooded area
Salt grasses.
Salt
To add, treat, season, or sprinkle with salt.
Salt
To cure or preserve by treating with salt or a salt solution.
Salt
To provide salt for (deer or cattle).
Salt
To add zest or liveliness to
Salt a lecture with anecdotes.
Salt
To give an appearance of value to by fraudulent means, especially to place valuable minerals in (a mine) for the purpose of deceiving.
Salt
A common substance, chemically consisting mainly of sodium chloride (NaCl), used extensively as a condiment and preservative.
Salt
(chemistry) One of the compounds formed from the reaction of an acid with a base, where a positive ion replaces a hydrogen of the acid.
Salt
(uncommon) A salt marsh, a saline marsh at the shore of a sea.
Salt
(slang) A sailor also old salt.
Salt
(cryptography) Randomly chosen bytes added to a plaintext message prior to encrypting or hashing it, in order to render brute-force decryption more difficult.
Salt
A person who seeks employment at a company in order to (once employed by it) help unionize it.
Salt
(obsolete) Flavour; taste; seasoning.
Salt
(obsolete) Piquancy; wit; sense.
Attic salt
Salt
(obsolete) A dish for salt at table; a salt cellar.
Salt
Epsom salts or other salt used as a medicine.
Salt
(figurative) Skepticism and common sense.
Any politician's statements must be taken with a grain of salt, but his need to be taken with a whole shaker of salt.
Salt
(Internet slang) Tears; indignation; outrage; arguing.
There was so much salt in that thread about the poor casting decision.
Salt
The money demanded by Eton schoolboys during the montem.
Salt
One who joins a workplace for the purpose of unionizing it.
Salt
A bounding; a leaping; a prance.
Salt
Salty; salted.
Salt beef;
Salt tears
Salt
Saline.
A salt marsh;
Salt grass
Salt
Related to salt deposits, excavation, processing or use.
A salt mine
The salt factory is a key connecting element in the seawater infrastructure.
Salt
Bitter; sharp; pungent.
Salt
Salacious; lecherous; lustful; (of animals) in heat.
Salt
Costly; expensive.
Salt
(transitive) To add salt to.
To salt fish, beef, or pork; to salt the city streets in the winter
Salt
(intransitive) To deposit salt as a saline solution.
The brine begins to salt.
Salt
To fill with salt between the timbers and planks for the preservation of the timber.
Salt
To insert or inject something into an object to give it properties it would not naturally have.
Salt
(mining) To blast metal into as a portion of a mine in order to cause to appear to be a productive seam.
Salt
(archaeology) To add bogus evidence to an archaeological site.
Salt
(transitive) To add certain chemical elements to (a nuclear weapon) so that it generates more radiation.
Salt
(transitive) To sprinkle throughout.
They salted the document with arcane language.
Salt
(cryptography) To add filler bytes before encrypting, in order to make brute-force decryption more resource-intensive.
Salt
To render a thing useless.
Salt
To sow with salt (of land), symbolizing a curse on its re-inhabitation.
In this place were put to the ground and salted the houses of José Mascarenhas.
Salt
(wiki) To lock a page title so it cannot be created.
Salt
The chloride of sodium, a substance used for seasoning food, for the preservation of meat, etc. It is found native in the earth, and is also produced, by evaporation and crystallization, from sea water and other water impregnated with saline particles.
Salt
Hence, flavor; taste; savor; smack; seasoning.
Though we are justices and doctors and churchmen . . . we have some salt of our youth in us.
Salt
Hence, also, piquancy; wit; sense; as, Attic salt.
Salt
A dish for salt at table; a saltcellar.
I out and bought some things; among others, a dozen of silver salts.
Salt
A sailor; - usually qualified by old.
Around the door are generally to be seen, laughing and gossiping, clusters of old salts.
Salt
The neutral compound formed by the union of an acid and a base; thus, sulphuric acid and iron form the salt sulphate of iron or green vitriol.
Salt
Fig.: That which preserves from corruption or error; that which purifies; a corrective; an antiseptic; also, an allowance or deduction; as, his statements must be taken with a grain of salt.
Ye are the salt of the earth.
Salt
Any mineral salt used as an aperient or cathartic, especially Epsom salts, Rochelle salt, or Glauber's salt.
Salt
Marshes flooded by the tide.
His fashion is not to take knowledge of him that is beneath him in clothes. He never drinks below the salt.
Salt
The act of leaping or jumping; a leap.
Salt
Of or relating to salt; abounding in, or containing, salt; prepared or preserved with, or tasting of, salt; salted; as, salt beef; salt water.
Salt
Overflowed with, or growing in, salt water; as, a salt marsh; salt grass.
Salt
Fig.: Bitter; sharp; pungent.
I have a salt and sorry rheum offends me.
Salt
Fig.: Salacious; lecherous; lustful.
Mine eyes are full of tears, I can not see;And yet salt water blinds them not so muchBut they can see a sort of traitors here.
Salt
To sprinkle, impregnate, or season with salt; to preserve with salt or in brine; to supply with salt; as, to salt fish, beef, or pork; to salt cattle.
Salt
To fill with salt between the timbers and planks, as a ship, for the preservation of the timber.
Salt
To deposit salt as a saline solution; as, the brine begins to salt.
Salt
A compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
Salt
White crystalline form of especially sodium chloride used to season and preserve food
Salt
Negotiations between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics opened in 1969 in Helsinki designed to limit both countries' stock of nuclear weapons
Salt
The taste experience when salt is taken into the mouth
Salt
Add salt to
Salt
Sprinkle as if with salt;
The rebels had salted the fields with mines and traps
Salt
Add zest or liveliness to;
She salts her lectures with jokes
Salt
Preserve with salt;
People used to salt meats on ships
Salt
Containing or filled with salt;
Salt water
Salt
Of speech that is painful or bitter;
Salt scorn
A salt apology
Salt
One of the four basic taste sensations; like the taste of sea water
Common Curiosities
Are there health concerns associated with MSG?
While there are myths about MSG causing health issues, scientific studies have not supported these claims.
What is MSG?
MSG is a flavor enhancer that primarily adds umami taste to food.
How is salt harvested?
Salt is either mined from underground deposits or evaporated from seawater.
Where is MSG commonly used?
MSG is commonly used in Asian cuisines and processed foods.
How does MSG enhance flavor?
MSG works by enhancing the natural flavors present in food, particularly umami.
Is salt used in all types of cooking?
Yes, salt is used universally across all cuisines to enhance flavor.
What are the health risks of consuming too much salt?
Excessive salt intake is linked to high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.
What are the natural sources of MSG?
MSG occurs naturally in foods like tomatoes and cheeses.
How does MSG affect food taste compared to salt?
MSG enhances umami and savory tastes, whereas salt enhances overall taste perception.
What is salt?
Salt is a mineral, mainly composed of sodium chloride, used for flavoring and preserving food.
Can MSG be used as a salt substitute?
While MSG can enhance certain flavors, it does not provide the same preservative qualities as salt.
Is MSG vegan?
Yes, MSG is vegan as it is synthesized from fermenting plant-based starches.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
