Disodium guanylate
Disodium guanylate (E627) is a flavour enhancer used alongside MSG, where the pair together taste far stronger than either alone. It is usually made by fermenting plant starch, but it can also be derived from fish or meat — which is why its vegan status is not automatic.
Disodium guanylate is the sodium salt of guanylic acid, a nucleotide. It has little flavour of its own; its role is synergistic, multiplying the umami effect of glutamates, which is why it almost always appears on a label next to E621.
The commercially dominant route is fermentation of starch, but guanylates can also be extracted from dried fish or meat, and EU labelling does not require the source to be declared. EFSA re-evaluated the ribonucleotides E626–E635 in 2021 and set a group acceptable daily intake.
On the label
- E-number
- E627
- INS number
- INS 627
- Functional class
- Flavour enhancer
- Also known as
- Sodium guanylate · Flavour enhancer 627 · INS 627 · GMP
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the source. It is normally produced by fermentation of plant starch, but it can also be derived from fish or meat. Most industrial production is fermentation-based, but the source is not stated on a label — a manufacturer is the only way to be certain. The same applies to a vegetarian diet.
Yes — the additive itself contains no gluten. A gluten-free claim belongs to the finished product, though — check the pack, not the additive.
It is normally produced by fermentation of plant starch, but it can also be derived from fish or meat, and EU labelling does not require the source to be declared — so the E-number alone cannot answer this. A halal certification mark on the finished product, or the manufacturer directly, is the only reliable signal.
EFSA re-evaluated the ribonucleotides in 2021 and set a group acceptable daily intake. The additive is a purine, and purines break down to uric acid, so people managing gout are sometimes advised to limit it — though the amounts used to enhance flavour are small next to dietary purines from meat and fish.