Flavor Enhancer

Flavor enhancers are food additives that enhance the flavor of foods without having a distinct odor or taste of their own. They come predominantly from the group of organic substances. They are preferably used in foods that have partially lost their own flavor components due to processing (freezing, heating, drying). Due to their properties, flavor enhancers allow manufacturers of expensive spices, herbs or other flavoring ingredients to use less. There are flavor enhancers that tend to emphasize the sweet flavor sensations and others that emphasize the savory direction. The most commonly used flavor enhancer is glutamate. Glutamate is the salt of the amino acid glutamic acid and is one of the non-essential (non-essential) amino acids. Glutamate is absorbed with food as a component of proteins. Glutamic acid bound in proteins has no influence on the sense of taste. The situation is different for free glutamate, which is contained in relatively large amounts in Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, fish, soy and yeast extracts, for example. This is why tomato paste, fish sauce or soy sauce are often used for seasoning. In the human organism, glutamate functions as a neurotransmitter, i.e. it is involved in the transmission, storage and processing of information in the brain. The special thing about glutamate is that it has a flavor of its own. This is referred to as the fifth flavor, the so-called “umami”, which can be translated as “meaty” or “spicy”. The application of glutamate is also derived from this. Synthetically produced (artificial) glutamates (E 620 – E 625) are used especially in meat and fish dishes, seasonings, convenience foods, sauces and packet soups, and Asian dishes. Glutamate is not suitable for sour and sweet dishes. The greatest flavor-enhancing effect is achieved with the following mixture: 95% glutamate and 5% guanylate (E 626) or inosinate (E 630). Healthy people whose daily glutamate intake is normal or even increased do not have to expect any health damage. Nevertheless, glutamate has repeatedly been the focus of controversial discussions in the past regarding its health compatibility. In the USA, there have been numerous reports of numbness in the neck, headaches, stomach aches, pain in the limbs, palpitations and a strong feeling of warmth after eating Chinese food. This is where the term “Chinese restaurant syndrome” comes from. Since Chinese cuisine uses more glutamate in its preparation than others, this was thought to be the possible cause. However, subsequent studies were unable to confirm this connection, according to the findings of the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) in 1987. However, it cannot be ruled out that there are people who react sensitively to larger amounts of glutamate (glutamate intolerance). Flavor enhancers are labeled as such on the ingredient list (“flavor enhancer”) and labeled with the E-number or the name of the specific substance. Flavor enhancers approved in the European Union are:

Flavor enhancers can trigger allergies or pseudoallergic reactions in people with the appropriate disposition.The following is a tabular overview of flavor enhancers that can cause allergic (A) and/or pseudoallergic reactions (P).