ABSTRACT. This study tested the hypothesis that infants metabolize glutamate more slowly than adults. Eight l-yrold infants ingested 160 ml of a beef consommi: providing monosodium L-glutamate at 0, 25, and 50 mg/kg body weight. Plasma glutamate and aspartate concentrations were measured sequentially for the next 2 h. The results were compared to values noted in nine adult subjects ingesting equivalent doses of monosodium L-glutamate in consomme. In adults, mean (+ SD) peak plasma glutamate concentrations were 5.59 f 1.56, 10.2 + 2.08, and 17.0 f The ability of human infants to metabolize MSG has been one area of concern in considering glutamate's safety as a food additive. Olney (1-3) postulated that human infants metabolized dicarboxylic amino acids more slowly than adults, and projected theoretical plasma glutamate concentrations for infants at much higher values than those for adults following glutamate ingestion.The present study directly tested this hypothesis by measuring the plasma glutamate and aspartate response in 1-yr-old infants fed a beef consommi containing graded doses of MSG. The results of these studies were compared with previously reported (4) plasma glutamate and aspartate values in normal adults administered equivalent doses of MSG in the same consomm6.
MATERIALS AND METHODSEight infants (four male, four female) were studied. The proposed study was explained to at least one of the parents and informed, written consent was obtained. The protocol of the study was reviewed and approved by the Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects of the University of Iowa.Each child ingested 160 ml of beef consommC providing 0,25, and 50 mg/kg body weight of added MSG in a balanced crossover design. Each infant was randomly assigned to receive consommi providing either 0 or 25 mg MSG/kg body weight, followed by the other dose at least 1 wk later. After these two tests had been completed and the results evaluated, each infant ingested consommi providing MSG at 50 mg/kg body weight. All tests were begun at 0800 h following an overnight fast.The monohydrate of monosodium L-glutamate was purchased from a local grocery store (Accent International, Pet Incorporated, St. Louis MO). The soup was prepared from a special beef consommk base supplied by the Ajinomoto Company (Tokyo, Japan). The composition of the soup base is shown in Table 1. As noted in Table 1, 160 ml of reconstituted soup contained 37 mg of free glutamate, for a mean dose of 4.1 mg/kg body weight. Thus, the true final doses of MSG studied in these infants were 4.1, 29.1 and 54.1 mg/kg body weight.Each infant was assigned by random allocation into one of two equal groups that differed with respect to time of blood sampling. Since only four blood samples were obtained from each infant after dosing, two different sampling schedules were utilized so as to obtain samples during the entire absorptive period. Blood samples at each dose level were obtained from four infants at 0, 30, 60, and 120 min After ingestion of the consommG Blood samples from ...