Glutamates
E620–E625
E620, E621, E622, E623, E624, E625, glutamate, glutamates, glutamic acid, L-glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate, MSG, sodium glutamate, monopotassium glutamate, potassium glutamate, calcium diglutamate, calcium glutamate, monoammonium glutamate, ammonium glutamate, magnesium diglutamate, magnesium glutamate
What it is
A family of umami flavour enhancers comprising glutamic acid (E620) and its sodium, potassium, calcium, ammonium and magnesium salts (E621–E625). Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is E621.
Why BOTIA flags it
Glutamate produces the umami taste and already occurs naturally in foods such as ripe tomatoes, Parmesan and soy sauce: the glutamate released by MSG is chemically the same. What became known as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” began with a letter published in 1968, not a controlled trial, and controlled studies have not consistently reproduced it under normal eating conditions. JECFA maintains a group ADI “not specified” for E620–E625, while EFSA set a group ADI of 30 mg/kg body weight per day. EFSA derived it from a NOAEL of 3,200 mg MSG/kg body weight per day in a developmental neurotoxicity study, in which higher doses produced neurobehavioural changes, and applied a safety factor of 100.
BOTIA CAN
- Detect E620–E625 and their common names, including monosodium glutamate, MSG and E621.
- Explain the difference between JECFA’s group ADI “not specified” and EFSA’s 30 mg/kg group ADI, including the animal-study NOAEL and safety factor used to derive it.
BOTIA CANNOT
- Determine how much added glutamate is present in a product from the ingredient list alone.
- Calculate a person’s total dietary glutamate exposure or predict whether an individual will experience symptoms from the presence of one declared glutamate additive.