MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not found lead contamination in the nine samples of Maggi noodles that were being tested in its Mumbai laboratory. The findings on Monosodium glutamate (MSG) will be revealed on Saturday.

FDA commissioner Harshadeep Kamble said that the lead quantity is within the permissible limit of 2.5 parts per million. "The lead found in Maggi packets is between 0.1 to 1.4 ppm, which is within the safe limits. The report for MSG will be made public on Saturday," he said.

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According to regulation under the Food Safety and Standards Regulation, 2011, the lead content cannot exceed 10 parts per million in dried herbs or flavour makers while noodles itself should not have more than 2.5PPM. Based on this, the FDA had worked out a calculation that a packet of Maggi that contains around 65 gram of noodles and a sachet of tastemaker should not have more than 3.5 parts per million of lead in all.

Over the last few days, at least four states have banned the popular instant food for varying time periods over the dangerous levels of lead content. Glutamate, the natural form of MSG, however, is present in its bound state, in plant and animal tissues, tomatoes, cheese, etc.

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Nestle, the makers of Maggi noodles, in a statement claimed that they do not add the flavour enhancer MSG (E621) to the noodles sold in India. "However the product contains glutamate derived from hydrolysed groundnut protein, onion powder and wheat flour. Glutamate produces a positive test result in a test for MSG," the statement said.

The adverse health effects due to prolonged consumption of MSG are being debated, though certain studies point out that mixing the natural glutamic acid with chemical contaminants makes it harmful. Abnormal lead exposure has been associated with several health problems, including headache, irritability, abdominal pain to more serious ones like impaired neurological development. Lead poisoning however happens only when one is exposed to too much of the metal in a very short time.