Flavour enhancer
What the research shows
No concerns
none of the findings here link it to harm
Covers the group as a whole. Each one has its own page.
What research says
Studies in people
-
Benefit
Appetite in older people3
Adding flavour enhancers to cooked meals helped elderly nursing home residents eat more and gain weight.
The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.
Products
The 6 most-scanned of 2,188 products on Open Food Facts that list flavour enhancer.
- Paprika Pringles · 165 g 6 additives
- Pringles Sour Cream Pringles · 165 g 7 additives
- Sriracha Sauce Flying Goose Brand · 455 ml 5 additives
- Beef Flavour Yum Yum · 60 g 8 additives
- CRISPY CHILLI OIL LAOGANMA · 210 g 1 additive
- Thins Multi-Seed Flatbreads Ryvita · 125 g 1 additive
References
- 1Flavour enhancer: ingredient taxonomy entry. Open Food Facts.
- 2Flavoring. Wikipedia. Accessed September 30, 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- 3Mathey MF, Siebelink E, de Graaf C, Van Staveren WA. Flavor enhancement of food improves dietary intake and nutritional status of elderly nursing home residents. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2001;56(4):M200-5. doi:10.1093/gerona/56.4.m200