Nucleotide Flavour Enhancers
E627, E631, E635
E627, E631, E635, disodium guanylate, sodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, sodium inosinate, disodium 5'-ribonucleotides, disodium ribonucleotides, disodium 5-ribonucleotides, guanylate, inosinate, ribonucleotides
What it is
Nucleotide flavour enhancers: E627 is disodium guanylate, E631 is disodium inosinate and E635 is a mixture of inosinate and guanylate.
Why BOTIA flags it
E627 and E631 are nucleotides that enhance umami, and their effect becomes especially strong when they are combined with glutamate: in human sensory studies, glutamate plus inosinate has produced an umami response around eight times stronger than glutamate alone in some mixtures. That is why these enhancers are often used alongside E621; E635 is itself a mixture of inosinate and guanylate. Industrial production can use fermentation or nucleotide-rich raw materials, but the label does not reveal the manufacturing route. JECFA assigned no numerical intake limit.
BOTIA CAN
- Detect E627, E631, E635 and the common guanylate, inosinate and ribonucleotide names.
- Explain their strong umami synergy with glutamate and show that, when E621 appears, E627, E631 or E635 are worth looking for as commonly paired enhancers.
BOTIA CANNOT
- Determine the manufacturing route or raw material used from the additive name alone.
- Infer that MSG or another enhancer is present unless it is separately declared on the label.