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E640Flavor enhancerLow concern
Glycine
In plain words
The short version
The simplest amino acid — a mild sweetener and umami modulator in Japanese-style seasonings.
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 profile
ADI not specified — considered safe. As the body's most abundant non-essential amino acid, dietary additions are metabolized identically to protein-derived glycine. Pharmacological doses are sometimes used clinically (for sleep, schizophrenia adjuncts) without significant adverse effects.
The detail
Manufactured synthetically (chloroacetic acid + ammonia, or Strecker synthesis from formaldehyde) or by hydrolysis of gelatin. Also produced by fermentation. A non-essential amino acid present in all proteins.
Used in Japanese-style savory seasonings, instant ramen broth packets, processed sausages, soft drinks, and shelf-stable bento meals. Functions both as a mild sweetener (about 70% as sweet as sucrose) and as a flavor modulator that rounds and broadens MSG-driven umami. Also a preservative-adjacent role in some bento by chelating spoilage-promoting metal ions.
White crystalline powder, sweet-bland taste. Very soluble in water. Heat-stable; survives baking and retort processing.
Permitted in the EU (E 640, glycine and its sodium salt) at quantum satis as a Group I additive. In the US, FDA no longer regards glycine as GRAS for human food. It may be used only where a food additive regulation allows it, for example up to 0.2% in beverages to mask the bitter aftertaste of saccharin.
Sources
- 21 CFR 170.50 — Glycine (aminoacetic acid) in food for human consumption, eCFR — U.S. FDA / eCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 1971. Regulation: glycine is not GRAS for human food in the US
- 21 CFR 172.812 — Glycine (food additive regulation), eCFR — U.S. FDA / eCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 2023. Regulation: limited US technological uses of glycine
- WHO JECFA database — Glycine (JECFA No. 1421, flavouring agent) — Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), 2004. Safety: no safety concern as a flavouring agent; normal component of protein
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 1129/2011 — Union list of food additives, Annex II Part C Group I — European Commission / Official Journal of the EU (L 295, 12.11.2011), 2011. Regulation: EU Group I additive at quantum satis
Checked against these sources on .
Educational information only. Not medical, dietary or veterinary advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.