E600–E699: flavour enhancers

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E600–E699 are flavour enhancers — additives that intensify a food’s existing taste rather than adding a flavour of their own. The best-known is E621 (monosodium glutamate, MSG).

Flavour enhancers strengthen the savoury, or “umami”, taste already present in a food. They are common in savoury snacks, soups and ready meals. Examples include E620 (glutamic acid), E621 (monosodium glutamate), E627 (disodium guanylate) and E631 (disodium inosinate); the last two are often used together with E621.

Which flavour enhancers may be used, in which foods and at what levels is set out in the EU food additives database, and their safety evaluations are published by EFSA. ProductGuru provides this as reference information, not dietary advice.

FAQ

What is E621?

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), the most widely used flavour enhancer, added to intensify savoury (umami) taste.

What do flavour enhancers do?

They strengthen the taste already present in a food rather than adding a new flavour of their own.

ProductGuru is an independent information service and provides no legal or safety guarantees; for official product data consult GS1 and the manufacturer. Free to cite with attribution.