Flavour enhancers and glutamate

In short: Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (E621) intensify the savoury “umami” taste without tasting strong themselves.

In more detail: Glutamate occurs naturally in tomatoes, Parmesan, mushrooms and soy sauce. As an additive it is considered harmless at normal amounts, and EFSA has set a tolerable value. The “Chinese restaurant syndrome” could not be confirmed in studies.

Our context: The product scanner deducts a small amount because flavour enhancers, yeast extract and seasoning point to highly processed products, not because glutamate would be dangerous.

In Depth

• On the ingredient list: E620–E625 (glutamic acid and glutamates), E626–E635 (guanylates and inosinates).
• Hidden glutamate: Yeast extract, hydrolysed vegetable protein and seasoning contain glutamate naturally. “Without flavour enhancers” is therefore not the same as “without glutamate”.
• Salt: Glutamate contains less sodium than table salt and can lower the salt need.

See also: E numbers (food additives), NOVA classification