Food additive databaseseasoning, nutrient (fortification)Checked 2026-10-02
L-Arginine L-アルギニン
Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list
- Purpose
- seasoning, nutrient (fortification)
- On the label
- “調味料（アミノ酸）” (seasoning (amino acids)), “L-アルギニン” (L-arginine), “アルギニン” (arginine)
- Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
- L-アルギニン (No. 21)
- Source and production
- L-arginine, one of the amino acids. The list sets no source; the component specifications require it to contain 98.0–102.0% L-arginine.
In Japan
- One of the amino acids. Its purposes on the list are seasoning and fortifier (the List of Existing Food Additives, list of listed items).
- When used as a seasoning, it can be labeled with the group name “調味料（アミノ酸）” (seasoning (amino acids)). The category name when written by substance name is “アルギニン” (arginine).
- When used for nutrient fortification, labeling can be omitted.
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-Arginine 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
- 厚生労働省「第10版食品添加物公定書」D 成分規格・保存基準各条 (Japanese)
- 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・栄養強化の範囲） (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-Alanine
- L-Glutamine
- L-Cystine
- L-Serine
- L-Tyrosine
- L-Histidine
- L-Hydroxyproline
- L-Proline
- L-Lysine
- L-Leucine