A flavour enhancer is an additive that strengthens the existing taste or aroma of a food, mostly its savoury, umami side, without adding a distinct flavour of its own. In savoury snacks this means making a cheese, seafood or barbecue seasoning taste fuller and last longer on the palate.
By far the most common is monosodium glutamate (MSG, INS 621), the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation. It is often paired with the nucleotide enhancers disodium 5’-guanylate (INS 627) and disodium 5’-inosinate (INS 631), or their premix disodium 5’-ribonucleotides (INS 635); together with MSG they produce a much stronger umami than either alone. Less common ones include disodium succinate.
On SeekSnack the label “Flavor Enhancer” is usually followed by these names, as on Lay’s Stax Sour Cream & Onion and Fashion Food’s Paprika Flavoured Cracker. MSG and the ribonucleotides are permitted under Codex.
Each flavour enhancer that a label names, such as monosodium glutamate or disodium 5’-ribonucleotides, has its own page, and every snack that contains any of them is listed here.
