The Chemistry of Top Ramen

• Top ramen has been enjoyed by college students for the past few decades. It is a pack of noodles that you just put into hot water. I chose ramen because you do almost nothing to make it and also its cheap. Ramen has affected my life by just being easy to make and making cooking more convenient.Composition of ...
  • Enriched Flour C6H10O5
    • Thiamine C12H17ClN4OSHCl
    • Riboflavin C17H20N4O6
    • Niacin C6H5NO2

In 1910 enriched flour became mainstream.It was suppose to be better for people by adding vitamin B.The flour has added ingredients they are Thiamine, Riboflavin and Niacin. White flour became a thing in 1870 when roller milling was introduced.

• Monosodium Glutamate
  • C5-H9-N-O4

Monosodium Glutamate is a flavor enhancer that was popularized in the 20th century. In WWII the japanese used it in their food rations to enhance the flavor. Monosodium Glutamate was made by bacterial fermentation.

Chemistry's Role

Instant Ramen is man made food. The msg helps amplify the flavor of the ramen and the enriched flour is used in the noodles.However eating ramen can increase the chances of getting heart disease and strokes. When Ramen is in hot water it separates and it softens.

Background Research

Momofuku Ando invented ramen after WWII in Japan. His goal was to feed the masses because food was scarce in Japan.In 1958 after the introduction of chicken flavor Instant Ramen was an “Instant” success.

Resources

http://www.consumer.org.my/index.php/food/nutrition/132-stay-away-from-instant-noodles-to-keep-healthy

• Top ramen contains a high amount of monosodium glutamate A.K.A MSG.
• Msg is a flavor enhancer used in ramen to amplify the flavors.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/482418-cooking-ramen-noodles-in-a-crock-pot/

• A package of ramen contains 1,562 mg of salt which is more than the recommended amount of sodium a person should have a day.
• Eating a lot of ramen can cause type 2 diabetes because of the high amount of carbohydrates.

http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/02/23/hongkong.noodles/index.html

• There is as much fat as potato chips in one serving of ramen

http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2015-06-04/maggi-noodles-banned-in-nepal.html

• Maggi Noodles a ramen brand popular in India was banned for containing high amounts of lead
• This brand also had seven times the legal limit of MSG in their noodles.

https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/CID%20Soup,%20Noodle,%20Ramen,%20Instant.pdf

• Ramen contains partially hydrogenated vegetable or palm oil
• The sodium content cannot go over 2100mg of sodium per 100g

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996907001962

• High quality noodles are bright color

https://www.reference.com/science/chemical-formula-wheat-flour-677c04b3c46e01cd

• Flour composition

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/04/top-ramen-noodles-cup-noodles-interview.html

• The history of ramen

https://www.nissinfoods.com/Nutrition/Top%20Ramen%20NF%20Ingredients.pdf

• The ingredients of ramen

https://chem.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/rn/6106-04-3

• Chemical composition of msg

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/IVhistoryOfUse.html

• History of msg

http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/319273

• History of enriched flour

About the Author

William Herbert is a junior at Billings Senior High. He enjoys making funky beats, he knows for a fact that Saturdays are for the BOYS. He also ate a crayon once… It was alright tasting.