Quote

BRAGG LIQUID AMINOS: THE SCAM REVEALED

by David Klein, 1997
[www.livingnutrition.com]


Below is information I received from an associate on the saltiness of Bragg Liquid Aminos. Below is the text from her letter. Before I get to it, I'll give some background information on her, so you'll know where she is coming from.

Griselda Blazey has a B.S. in biology, a M.S. is biochemistry, and a Ph.D. (actually a post-doctorate) in endocrinology. She also has a degree from the now defunct College of Dietary Therapy in England. She authored a book, "Food Matters", and a workbook called, "Nutritional Transformation", and used to teach a course by that name. She has been teaching cell physiology, metabolic disorders, and nutrition at Life Chiropractic College West, in San Leandro, California for the past four years. The first time I heard her theory on the saltiness of Bragg Liquid Aminos was during a lecture she gave at a San Francisco Living Foods Support Group meeting a few years ago. Here is the text from her recent letter:

"The other topic you asked about in your letter was about how Bragg Aminos are made. Once again, here's an armchair biologist's answer, meaning that I don't know this for sure, but it's the only thing that makes scientific sense. If I were given some vegetable protein and were asked to make it into amino acids without spending a lot of money on it, I would boil it up with some hydrochloric acid. This would break it down to amino acids, but of course it would be too acidic to be palatable. So I would then neutralize the acid with baking soda, causing the reaction mixture to look like this:

2HCl + Na2CO3 ===> 2NaCl + CO2 + H2O

So the salt gets made by mistake as it were. Now someone (I forget who) followed up on this and contacted the Bragg company to ask if this was how they did it, and they denied it. However, they didn't disclose how they do actually do it, so in the absence of correct information, and with an extremely salty taste in their product, I still consider the above process to play at least some part in their procedure."

That's it. We don't know for sure. All I know is that Griselda has an impressive mind for original theoretical scientific thought, and I sure felt awful after having a bit of Bragg a several years ago, just like I did when after having some dulse flakes in raw food recipes - I think that they heat the dulse to drive out the moisture so that it is chopable, thus cooking it and making the "deadly" form of sodium chloride.

Hope you find her theory interesting and worthy of second-thinking the inclusion of the Bragg product in recipes.


* * *


From the [www.living-foods.com] Forum
Subject: RE: Bragg liquid aminos IS POISON
Author: Dave Klein, board moderator (209-239-210-172.oak.jps.net)
Date: 08-06-1999 14:34

It looks like we finally got some proof from the Bragg company that the liquid aminos product is heat processed and made with hydrochloric acid.

Salt apparently forms in its processing, plus glutamic acid which is the same poison which is in MSG. Many many raw fooders have apparently been lied to and duped by the Bragg who have until recently stated that the product is all raw and not processed with heat or chemicals. And many many folks like myself become ill very soon after ingesting the crap. Sea salt is less deadly than Bragg Liquid Aminos, but then I prefer tomatoes to get minerals salts in my diet when I want to enjoy salty flavors. Try adding sundried tomatoes to salads too.


* * *


From the [www.living-foods.com] Forum
ìMy pointî by Michael

18/06/99 05:59:17


After reading the speculations about Bragg Liquid Aminos posted on this forum and hearing horror stories from others (my sister talked with a man who said he quit using it because it gave him nightmares) I decided to just jump right out and ask the Bragg company themselves.

Decide for yourself if you feel like using it.

1. Is hydrochloric acid used at any time in the production of Bragg Liquid Aminos? I have been told that it is used to separate the aminos from the soybeans (like isolated soy protein) and gives it the salty flavor.

Yes, our product is hydrolized in the process.

2. Are you aware of the dangerous effects of glutamic acid within the human body? Do you plan on taking measures to remove glutamic acid from Bragg Liquid Aminos?

The glutamic acid is naturally occurring and cannot be isolated to remove it as an individual amino acid. In our laboratory results analyses show that the Liquid Aminos contain no monosodium glutamate.

3. If BLA is neither heat processed nor fermented, could you please explain why it does not turn rancid at room temperature as opposed to requiring refrigeration?


Our liquid aminos does go rancid if kept out of the cupboard or out of the refrigerator. We suggest storing in a cupboard or the refrigerator. It is the same reason ketchup or soy sauce, or jam, or peanut butter do not go bad if kept in the cupboard. Eventually they will all go bad.



* * *


A group e-mail message:
November 2, 1998

Hi all:

A while back we were had chatted here and questioned whether above has msg or not and Patricia Bragg said NO.

We'll here's some info. that says yes, and FDA had her remove her NO MSG label. You can check on the documentation self. A friend sent this is who a researcher. I don't have his permission to release his name, but this should ans. the question on YES, above has MSG per FDA.

ìMSG-sensitive people react to any glutamic acid that has been freed from protein through a manufacturing process providing that they ingest an amount that exceeds their individual tolerance for the substance. Consequently, consumers refer to all processed free glutamic acid as MSG. This fact was acknowledged by the FDA in the "FDA Backgrounder" dated August 31, 1995.

Under Section 403 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act it is deceptive and misleading to say "No MSG" or "No MSG added" on a processed food label that contains free glutamic acid. It is for this reason that the FDA forced Live Products, manufacturer of Bragg Liquid Aminos, to remove the words "No MSG" from the product's label.î

Hugs,
Carol, CO
***


Some ìSaltyî Advice by Art Baker

Forget the Bragg Liquid Aminos and try this: Dehydrate celery and lemon. As the celery dries out it hardens and becomes thin like floss. Place both in a coffee grinder and pulverize into powder. The powder is very salty, with a slight celery flavor, making it a great addition to guacamole, salsa, raw soups, crackers, etc.