Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Monosodium Glutamate
Monosodium Glutamate is a flavoring substance, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2756 (CAS 142-47-2). Its odor is practically odorless.
- FEMA
- 2756
- CAS
- 142-47-2
- Formula
- C5H10NNaO5
- EC
- 205-538-1
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 142-47-2.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: L-Glutamic acid, sodium salt (1:1), Glutamic acid, monosodium salt, L-, L-Glutamic acid, monosodium salt, RL 50, Accent, Chinese seasoning, Glutacyl, Glutavene, Monosodium L-glutamate, MSG, Vetsin, Zest.
Can Monosodium Glutamate be labeled natural?
Monosodium Glutamate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: Monosodium Glutamate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized Monosodium Glutamate is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic Monosodium Glutamate identical-to-natural.
- United States
- Natural or artificial, by process
- European Union and UK
- Natural only from natural material
- Mercosur and Mexico
- Natural or identical-to-natural
How each market defines the classes: natural vs artificial flavor under 21 CFR 101.22.
Regulatory status, with citations
United States
Monosodium Glutamate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2756. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.320.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Monosodium Glutamate. That is not a finding either way. The Union List covers defined flavouring substances, so natural complex materials are handled as flavouring preparations under Parts B to F and never receive a number, and substances used as additives sit under Regulation 1333/2008 instead. Confirm the position before EU or UK use.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
Monosodium Glutamate has not been evaluated by JECFA as a flavouring agent, or no evaluation is on file.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Monosodium Glutamate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 142-47-2, where EPA names it L-Glutamic acid, sodium salt (1:1).
Active in US commerce
EPA designates this substance active, so no Notice of Activity Form B is required before manufacturing. What active and inactive mean.
EPA publishes no regulatory flags on this listing. What the flags mean.
From the EPA non-confidential TSCA Inventory, July 2026 release. EPA also maintains a confidential portion it does not publish. Search the Inventory by CAS number.
Odor and taste
Odor: Practically odorless.
Taste: Meaty taste comes from contaminants in crude glutamates; sweet-saline taste in large concn; no flavor in small quantity.
Where it is used
Typical applications for Monosodium Glutamate are not on file yet.
Monosodium Glutamate FAQ
Is Monosodium Glutamate on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 2756 covers Monosodium Glutamate. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.320.
What is the FEMA number for Monosodium Glutamate?
The FEMA number for Monosodium Glutamate is 2756 and its CAS registry number is 142-47-2.
Is Monosodium Glutamate natural or artificial?
Since Monosodium Glutamate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when Monosodium Glutamate is synthesized. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic Monosodium Glutamate identical-to-natural.
What is Monosodium Glutamate used for?
Monosodium Glutamate is described as practically odorless. On the palate it is meaty taste comes from contaminants in crude glutamates; sweet-saline taste in large concn; no flavor in small quantity.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
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Sources and attribution. The identity and regulatory facts on this page are taken from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, a US government record, which lists this substance as MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE under CAS 142-47-2 and carries its FEMA number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavor enhancer, nutrient supplement, ph control agent, stabilizer or thickener.
A FEMA GRAS conclusion is reached by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States, and the FEMA number names that conclusion. FEMA publishes its own entry for this substance in the FEMA Flavor Library, which is the authoritative record of what the Panel decided and is worth reading alongside this page.
Ambrose Compliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FEMA. FEMA and FEMA GRAS are used here as identifiers for a published regulatory determination, not as marks of any relationship between FEMA and Ambrose.
About this page. Facts come from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, the Code of Federal Regulations, the EPA TSCA Inventory, the EU Union List, JECFA and the Ambrose database, with FEMA's published determination cited where it applies; parts of the text are written by Ambrose AI, which can make mistakes. Check the cited source before relying on anything here. This is not regulatory or legal advice.