Food Network host and restaurateur Guy Fieri once told Success, "Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together." While true, there are times when foods or methods of cooking create controversy, and nothing is more representative of this fact than the disputes surrounding MSG and salt. Both are widely-used flavor-enhancers, and both occur naturally in whole and processed foods we eat each and every day. So what's the difference?

For thousands of years, salt (sodium chloride) has been used not only to season and preserve foods but served as a prized trade and even religious offering. It's considered an integral part of human civilization. Meanwhile, MSG (monosodium glutamate) was discovered in 1908 by a Japanese biochemist Dr. Kikunae Ikeda, one of Ajinomoto Group's founders. Through his research, Ikeda sought to discover the secret of umami — that savory, meaty flavor that's one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, salty, bitter and sour. He reduced his wife's kombu (or kelp) broth and uncovered the crystalline form of glutamic acid. After a year of research and development, MSG hit the market and became the easiest way to incorporate umami into any dish.

MSG or monosodium glutamate, also known widely as the brand Ajinomoto, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, a common amino acid found naturally in foods and our bodies. MSG is produced through fermentation of corn or cassava starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses. The process is similar to the way we make yogurt or wine. Glutamic acid is produced through this fermentation process, and neutralized with sodium to create monosodium glutamate. Then using evaporation, the solution is dried and crystalized into the final product.