Food additive databaseseasoning, nutrient (fortification)Checked 2026-10-02
L-Glutamic Acid L-グルタミン酸
Designated additivePermitted in the EU (E620)EFSA ADI 30mg per kg body weight per day
- Purpose
- seasoning, nutrient (fortification)
- On the label
- “調味料（アミノ酸）” (seasoning (amino acid)), “調味料（アミノ酸等）” (seasoning (amino acids, etc.)), “グルタミン酸” (glutamic acid)
- Name in the List of Designated Additives
- L-グルタミン酸 (No. 134)
In Japan
- Used as a seasoning that adds umami. There are no standards for use.
- It falls within the scope of the seasoning group name (amino acids) and can be written as “調味料（アミノ酸）” (seasoning (amino acid)) and similar names. The short name is “グルタミン酸” (glutamic acid). It is also on the list of “additives that may be used for nutritional fortification” (amino acids).
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 on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II) as E620.
- In its 2017 evaluation, EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) set an ADI (acceptable daily intake) of 30mg per kg of body weight per day (a group ADI, for the total of related substances) (EFSA ANS).
When it is labeled under a shared name
L-Glutamic Acid 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 Designated 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
- EFSA OpenFoodTox (chemical hazards database)
- 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)
- EFSA ANS Panel (2017) Re-evaluation of glutamic acid (E 620), sodium glutamate (E 621), potassium glutamate (E 622), calcium glutamate (E 623), ammonium glutamate (E 624) and magnesium glutamate (E 625) as food additives. EFSA Journal 15(7):4910 (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-Theanine
- L-Valine
- L-Histidine Monohydrochloride
- L-Phenylalanine
- L-Lysine L-Aspartate
- L-Lysine Monohydrochloride
- L-Lysine L-Glutamate
- L-Asparagine
- L-Alanine
- L-Arginine
- L-Glutamine
- L-Cystine
- L-Serine
- L-Tyrosine
- L-Histidine
- L-Hydroxyproline
- L-Proline
- L-Lysine
- L-Leucine