Food additive databaseseasoning, nutrient (fortification)Checked 2026-10-02
L-Histidine L-ヒスチジン
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-ヒスチジン” (L-histidine), “ヒスチジン” (histidine)
- Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
- L-ヒスチジン (No. 227)
- Source and production
- The essential substance is L-histidine (one of the amino acids).
In Japan
- An amino acid. Its purpose in the List of Existing Food Additives is seasoning and fortifier. There are no standards for use. The hydrochloride, “L-ヒスチジン塩酸塩” (L-histidine hydrochloride), is a separate item (a designated additive).
- 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 “ヒスチジン” (histidine). When used for nutritional fortification, labeling is exempt (Food Labeling Standards).
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.
- Its use as a food additive is not authorized in the EU (it is not on the additive list).
When it is labeled under a shared name
L-Histidine 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
- 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・保存基準各条の定義 (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、既存添加物名簿収載品目リスト） (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」の文字を含む場合の用途名の省略、栄養強化の表示免除）（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-Alanine
- L-Arginine
- L-Glutamine
- L-Cystine
- L-Serine
- L-Tyrosine
- L-Hydroxyproline
- L-Proline
- L-Lysine
- L-Leucine