Food additive databaseseasoning, nutrient (fortification)Checked 2026-10-02
L-Alanine L-アラニン
Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list
- Purpose
- seasoning, nutrient (fortification)
- On the label
- “調味料（アミノ酸）” (seasoning (amino acid)), “L-アラニン” (L-alanine), “アラニン” (alanine)
- Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
- L-アラニン (No. 17)
- Source and production
- The amino acid L-alanine (C3H7NO2). The specifications set the content at 98.0 to 102.0% on a dried basis. The aqueous solution “L-アラニン液” (L-alanine solution) is also included in this item of the List.
In Japan
- An amino acid used as a seasoning and for nutritional fortification. The aqueous solution “L-アラニン液” (L-alanine solution) is also included in this item. There are no standards for use.
- When used as a seasoning, it can be written together with other amino acids under the group name “調味料（アミノ酸）” (seasoning (amino acid)), so the substance name may not appear. The short name when written by substance name is “アラニン” (alanine).
- When used for nutritional fortification, labeling is exempt (except for foods for special dietary uses and foods with function claims).
Japan's standards for use
There are no standards for use that limit which foods or how much (the general standards for all additives still apply).
This is a summary of the standards for use. See the source list for the exact conditions.
In the EU
- It is not on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II), so it cannot be used as a food additive in the EU.
When it is labeled under a shared name
L-Alanine may be declared on the label in the same way as “調味料（アミノ酸等）”. See Seasoning (amino acids etc.) — e.g. MSG for details.
Sources
- List of Existing Food Additives — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- Standards for use and storage of each additive — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- EU food additive database (Japanese translation) — MAFF (Japanese)
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — EUR-Lex
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」別添 添加物関係（簡略名・用途名併記・一括名・既存添加物名簿収載品目リスト） (Japanese)
- 第10版 食品添加物公定書（2024年、厚生労働省・消費者庁）成分規格の定義 (Japanese)
- 食品表示基準（平成27年内閣府令第10号）第3条（加工助剤の定義、栄養強化の目的で使用されるものの表示免除）（e-Gov 法令検索） (Japanese)
Checked 2026-10-02. Rules and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.
This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies; it is not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. The ADI is a guide to the amount that is considered safe to take every day over a lifetime.
Other substances used as seasoning, nutrient (fortification)
- Monosodium L-Aspartate
- DL-Alanine
- L-Arginine L-Glutamate
- L-Isoleucine
- L-Glutamic Acid
- L-Theanine
- L-Valine
- L-Histidine Monohydrochloride
- L-Phenylalanine
- L-Lysine L-Aspartate
- L-Lysine Monohydrochloride
- L-Lysine L-Glutamate
- L-Asparagine
- L-Arginine
- L-Glutamine
- L-Cystine
- L-Serine
- L-Tyrosine
- L-Histidine
- L-Hydroxyproline
- L-Proline
- L-Lysine
- L-Leucine