Food additives permitted in the EU: flavour enhancers
Flavor enhancers are food additives added to a food to supplement, enhance or improve its own flavour, without imparting the food itself any characteristic flavour.
Below is a review of some flavour enhancers, such as glutamic acid and some nucleotides, present in the list of food additives approved in the European Community on the basis of the European Commission regulation No 1129/2011 published on 11 November 2011. This list is an amendment of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008 of the European Parliament, that was then modified in 2013. The list in its entirety is available, in PDF and HTML format and in the different European languages, by following the link in the References.
| E620, E621, E622, E623, E624, E625, E626, E627, E628, E629, E630, E631, E632, E633, E634, E635, E640, E650 | |
| Flavour enhancers: amino acids | |
| E620 | Glutamic acid |
| E621 | Monosodium glutamate |
| E622 | Monopotassium glutamate |
| E623 | Calcium diglutamate |
| E624 | Monoammonium glutamate |
| E625 | Magnesium diglutamate |
| E640 | Glycine and its sodium salt |
| Flavour enhancers: nucleotides | |
| E626 | Guanylic acid |
| E627 | Disodium guanylate |
| E628 | Dipotassium guanylate |
| E629 | Calcium guanylate |
| E630 | Inosinic acid |
| E631 | Disodium inosinate |
| E632 | Dipotassium inosinate |
| E633 | Calcium inosinate |
| E634 | Calcium 5′-ribonucleotides |
| E635 | Disodium 5′-ribonucleotides |
| Other compounds | |
| E650 | Zinc acetate |
References
- Bender D.A. “Benders’ Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology” 8th ed. Woodhead Publishing. Oxford, 2006
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 1129/2011 of 11 November 2011 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing a Union list of food additives. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/1129/2013-11-21