How is Monosodium Glutamate Commercially Produced?

Commercially, monosodium glutamate is produced by fermentation. Bacteria are used in this fermentation method. The most commonly used microorganism species are Corynebacterium and Brevibacterium.

Starch and molasses hydrolysate are used as raw materials. The importance of these hydrolysates is to provide a carbon source.

In Monosodium Glutamate production, some chemicals are required as a nitrogen source and for microbial growth. Ammonium salts and urea can be used for this purpose.

In this reaction, the culture medium will become acidic with the formation of L-Glutamic Acid and the assimilation of ammonium ions.

In MSG production, gaseous ammonia is used to maintain the culture medium's pH between 7 and 8.

The development in Monosodium Glutamate production has progressed in line with advancements in fermentation technologies. During the production process, the higher the accumulation of L-Glutamic Acid, the higher the reaction yield. By increasing the L-Glutamic Acid accumulation in the fermentation production of Monosodium Glutamate to over 100g/L, the reaction yield has surpassed a success rate of 60%.

In the subsequent process, the pH of the fermentation broth is adjusted to 3.2. This is crucial for the recovery of L-glutamic acid crystals.

The next stage in Monosodium Glutamate production is neutralization and purification. Through this process, monosodium glutamate with a purity of over 99% is obtained.

In the purification process, the monosodium salt of glutamic acid is first obtained. By adjusting the pH of this solution to the isoelectric point of Glutamic Acid, the Glutamic Acid is crystallized. And these crystals are separated from the solution.