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E624Flavor enhancerLow concern

Monoammonium Glutamate

In plain words

The short version

The ammonium salt of glutamic acid — a niche umami enhancer for low-sodium ammonium-tolerant products.

Why it's green

It's widely considered safe at the amounts used in food, so we mark it green. The Safety section below has the details.

Safety

Safety profile

JECFA (1987) set a group ADI 'not specified' for glutamic acid and its salts. EFSA's 2017 re-evaluation set a group ADI of 30 mg/kg body weight per day, expressed as glutamic acid, for glutamic acid and glutamates (E 620–625), and noted that exposure in some population groups exceeded it. Glutamate metabolism is identical regardless of counter-ion; ammonium contribution is small and metabolized via the urea cycle.

The detail

Sources

  1. EFSA ANS Panel — Re-evaluation of glutamic acid (E 620) and glutamates incl. ammonium glutamate (E 624), EFSA Journal 2017, doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4910 — EFSA, 2017. Safety: group ADI 30 mg/kg bw/day as glutamic acid for E 620–625
  2. JECFA database — Monoammonium L-glutamate (INS 624), evaluation 1987 (31st meeting) — WHO / Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, 1987. Safety: JECFA group ADI 'not specified' for glutamic acid and salts
  3. 21 CFR 182.1500 — Monoammonium glutamate (GRAS) — eCFR / US FDA, 2026. US status: GRAS under good manufacturing practice
  4. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — consolidated text of 18.08.2026 (Annex II) — EUR-Lex / European Union, 2026. EU status: E 620–625 max 10 g/kg in combination (Group I), expressed as glutamic acid

Checked against these sources on .

Educational information only. Not medical, dietary or veterinary advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.