Food additive databaseseasoning, nutrient (fortification)Checked 2026-10-02
L-Glutamine L-グルタミン
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-グルタミン” (L-glutamine), “グルタミン” (glutamine)
- Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
- L-グルタミン (No. 105)
- Source and production
- The amino acid L-glutamine (C5H10N2O3). The component specifications give a content of 98.0–102.0%.
In Japan
- One of the amino acids, used as a seasoning and for nutrient fortification. There are no standards for use.
- When used as a seasoning, it can be labeled together with other amino acids under the group name “調味料（アミノ酸）” (seasoning (amino acids)), so the substance name may not appear. The simplified name when written by substance name is “グルタミン” (glutamine).
- When used for nutrient fortification, labeling can be omitted (excluding 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-Glutamine 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・栄養強化の範囲） (Japanese)
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」（通知 本体：既存添加物の物質名、「増粘多糖類」の簡略名、加工助剤・栄養強化の範囲） (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、「色」「増粘」の文字を含む場合の用途名の省略、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)
- 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)
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-Arginine
- L-Cystine
- L-Serine
- L-Tyrosine
- L-Histidine
- L-Hydroxyproline
- L-Proline
- L-Lysine
- L-Leucine