*Me* Is Gamma－aminobutyric Acid(GABA)

"Me" is Gamma－aminobutyric acid(GABA)

Name: γ-aminobutyric acid

Abbreviation: GABA
Chemical name: 4-aminobutyric acid
CAS: 56-12-2

◆Where does "Me" come from?◆

"Me" is a natural active ingredient that is widely distributed in plants and animals, such as seeds, rhizomes and tissue fluids of legumes, ginseng, Chinese herbal medicines, or in animal nerve tissues. It was first discovered in potato tubers in 1949 and in the central nervous system of mammals in 1950 [2]. As a new functional factor, GABA has been widely used in the food industry. Foods developed using raw materials such as germinated brown rice, soybeans and broad beans rich in GABA have been launched on the market [1].

◆How "Me" works!◆

The content of GABA in plant tissues is extremely low, usually between 0.3 and 32.5 μmol/g. It has been reported in the literature that GABA enrichment in plants is related to the stress response experienced by plants. When subjected to stress such as hypoxia, heat shock, cold shock, mechanical damage, and salt stress, GABA will accumulate rapidly. After plant-based food raw materials are treated with a certain stress method or through microbial fermentation to increase their GABA content, processing such raw materials into functional products rich in GABA has become a research hotspot. [1]

◆What should I pay attention to when eating "Me"?◆

According to the Announcement No. 12 of the Ministry of Health of China in 2009, the intake of GABA shall not exceed 500 mg/d, and the scope of use is beverages, cocoa products, chocolate and its beverages, candies, baked goods and puffed foods, but it cannot be added to infant food [4]. QB/T 4587-2013 "γ-Aminobutyric Acid" also stipulates the corresponding requirements, test methods, inspection rules, marking, packaging, transportation and storage.

References
1. Research progress on the formation mechanism and enrichment method of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) . Baidu Academic [cited on 2019-10-28]
2. Physiological functions and preparation methods of γ-aminobutyric acid. Baidu Academic [cited on 2019-10-28]
3. Research progress on the functional properties of γ-aminobutyric acid and its enrichment technology in food raw materials. CNKI [cited on 2021-08-04]
4. Research progress on new resource food - γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). CNKI [cited on 2019-10-28]