Disodium inosinate (E631
) is the
disodium salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
of
inosinic acid
Inosinic acid or inosine monophosphate (IMP) is a nucleotide (that is, a nucleoside monophosphate). Widely used as a flavor enhancer, it is typically obtained from chicken byproducts or other meat industry waste. Inosinic acid is important in met ...
with the chemical formula C
10H
11N
4Na
2O
8P. It is used as a
food additive
Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives, such as vinegar ( pickling), salt ( salting), smoke ( smoking) and sugar ( crystallization), have been used f ...
and often found in
instant noodles
Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash-frying cooked noodles, which is s ...
,
potato chips
Potato chips (North American English and Australian English; often just chip) or crisp (British English and Hiberno-English) are thin slices of potato (or a thin deposit of potato paste) that has been deep frying, deep fried, baking, baked, ...
, and a variety of other snacks.
Commercial disodium inosinate may either be obtained from bacterial fermentation of sugars or prepared from animal products. The
Vegetarian Society
The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (VSUK) is a British Registered charity in England, registered charity. It campaigns for dietary changes, licenses Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks for Vegetarianism, vegetarian and Veganism, v ...
reports that production from meat or fish is more widespread,
The following source has identical phrasing: but the
Vegetarian Resource Group reports that all three "leading manufacturers" claim to use fermentation.
Use as a food additive
Disodium inosinate is used as a
flavor enhancer
A flavoring (or flavouring), also known as flavor (or flavour) or flavorant, is a food additive that is used to improve the taste or smell of food. It changes the perceptual impression of food as determined primarily by the chemoreceptors of t ...
, in synergy with
monosodium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate (MSG), also known as sodium glutamate, is a sodium salt of glutamic acid. MSG is found naturally in some foods including tomatoes and cheese in this glutamic acid form. MSG is used in cooking as a flavor enhancer with a ...
(MSG) to provide the
umami
Umami ( from ), or savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes. It is characteristic of broths and cooked meats.
People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to glutamates and nucleotides, which are widely present in me ...
taste. It is often added to foods in conjunction with
disodium guanylate
Disodium guanylate, also known as sodium 5'-guanylate and disodium 5'-guanylate, is a natural sodium salt of the flavor enhancing nucleotide guanosine monophosphate (GMP). Disodium guanylate is a food additive with the E number E627. It is com ...
; the combination is known as
disodium 5′-ribonucleotides.
As a relatively expensive product, disodium inosinate is usually not used independently of
glutamic acid
Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; known as glutamate in its anionic form) is an α- amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can ...
; if disodium inosinate is present in a list of ingredients, but MSG does not appear to be, it is possible that glutamic acid is provided as part of another ingredient or is naturally occurring in another ingredient like tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, or
yeast extract
Yeast extracts consist of the cell contents of yeast without the cell walls; they are used as food additives or flavorings, or as nutrients for bacterial culture Growing media, media. They are often used to create savoury flavors and umami tast ...
.
Origin
Inosinate is naturally found in meat and fish at levels of 80–800 mg/100 g.
It can also be made by fermentation of sugars such as
tapioca starch
Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the tubers of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but which has ...
.
Some sources claim that industrial levels of production are achieved by extraction from animal products, making E631 non-vegetarian.
[ However, an interview by the Vegetarian Resource Group reports that all three "leading manufacturers" (one being ]Ajinomoto
is a Japanese multinational food and biotechnology corporation which produces seasonings, cooking oils, frozen food
Freezing food Food preservation, preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farm ...
) claims to use an all-vegetarian fermentation process.[ Producers are generally open to providing information on the origin. E631 is in some cases labeled as "vegetarian" in ingredients lists when produced from plant sources.
]
Toxicology and safety
In the United States, consumption of added 5′-ribonucleotides averages 4 mg per day, compared to 2 g per day of naturally occurring purine
Purine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound that consists of two rings (pyrimidine and imidazole) fused together. It is water-soluble. Purine also gives its name to the wider class of molecules, purines, which include substituted puri ...
s. A review of literature by an FDA committee found no evidence of carcinogenicity
A carcinogen () is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and Biological agent, biologic agent ...
, teratogenicity, or adverse effects on reproduction.
In 2004, disodium inosinate was proposed to be removed from the food additive list by Codex Alimentarius Commission
The is a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines, and other recommendations published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations relating to f ...
.
See also
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Disodium Inosinate
Food additives
Nucleotides
Organic sodium salts
Flavor enhancers
Umami enhancers
E-number additives