Is Disodium Guanylate (E627) Vegan?

Also known as: Sodium 5'-guanylate, GMP, Guanosine monophosphate disodium salt, Disodium 5'-guanosine monophosphate

Depends on Source

Disodium guanylate depends on how it was made. Most production now runs on yeast RNA or bacterial fermentation, both plant-fed and vegan, but nucleotide enhancers have historically been recovered from fish and meat extracts. Nothing on the label tells you which route a batch came from.

Last checked 29 Jul 2026 How we decide

Ingredient Data

Vegan Status

Depends on Source

E-Number

E627

Also Known As

Sodium 5'-guanylate; GMP; Guanosine monophosphate disodium salt; Disodium 5'-guanosine monophosphate

Source

A ribonucleotide flavor enhancer. Most commercial material is made by microbial routes: RNA extracted from yeast grown on molasses and cut with enzymes, or direct fermentation by bacteria such as Corynebacterium that excrete the nucleotide. Nucleotide flavor enhancers have also been recovered from dried fish and meat extracts, and no label distinguishes the routes.

Commonly Found In

Savory snacks and crisps, instant noodles and their seasoning sachets, stock cubes, gravy granules, soups, sauces, ready meals, seasoning blends, and many plant-based meat products. Almost always sits beside monosodium glutamate.

Vegan Alternative

Yeast extract, dried mushroom powder, tomato powder, or fermented soy give umami with a clear plant origin.

Additional Notes

The guanylate ion is what makes dried shiitake taste deep and savory, so the natural dietary source of this compound is a mushroom. That does not settle how a given batch of E627 was made. Industry has moved heavily toward yeast and bacterial fermentation, but production disclosures are inconsistent, and E627 is often blended with E631 into E635, which the same questions cover.

In depth

The Same Question as E631, With a Different History

Two nucleotides dominate savory seasoning: inosinate (E631) and guanylate (E627). Both boost the umami effect of glutamate far beyond what either delivers alone, which is why they appear together with MSG on so many snack labels.

Their food histories differ. Inosinate is the compound that makes dried bonito and cured meat taste savory, and early commercial production came from dried fish. Guanylate is the compound behind dried shiitake, so its flagship natural source is a fungus.

Modern manufacture has converged on microbes for both. Yeast is grown on molasses, the RNA is extracted and cut into individual nucleotides with a 5'-phosphodiesterase enzyme, and the guanylate fraction is separated and converted to the disodium salt. Bacterial fermentation routes produce the nucleotide or its precursor directly. Whether every supplier uses one of these routes is unresolved from public information, and animal-sourced extracts remain technically possible.

Why the Label Cannot Answer It

EU labeling rules require additives to be identified by function and by name or E-number. Nothing in that system asks a manufacturer to state the raw material, so "flavor enhancer (E627)" is the complete legal declaration whatever the input was.

That leaves three practical options. Products carrying a recognized vegan certification have had the supply chain checked, so the mark answers the question. Contacting the manufacturer works and often gets a clear reply, because most now source from fermentation and are happy to say so. Choosing products seasoned with yeast extract or mushroom powder sidesteps the question entirely.

One shortcut helps in the snack aisle. E627 appears mostly in meat-flavored and cheese-flavored products, which frequently contain milk powder, chicken fat, or meat extract listed openly elsewhere on the pack. Where the rest of the list is clean, the seasoning is the only open item.

E635 and the Blended Form

Manufacturers rarely buy the two nucleotides separately. Disodium ribonucleotides (E635) is a roughly equal blend of inosinate and guanylate sold as one ingredient, and it is more common on labels than either component alone.

Anything true of E627 sourcing applies to the guanylate half of E635. The inosinate half carries the stronger link to fish and meat extracts.

A reader who wants a single rule can treat E627, E631, and E635 as one group to check, in place of three separate problems. The answer for all three comes from the same place: the certification mark, or the manufacturer.

Frequently asked questions

Is disodium guanylate vegan?

Sometimes, and the label will not say. Most commercial production uses yeast RNA or bacterial fermentation, which are vegan, but nucleotide flavor enhancers have also been made from fish and meat extracts. A vegan certification mark on the finished product is the reliable check.

Is E627 made from fish?

It can be. Most modern production is microbial. The nucleotide route from dried fish is better documented for disodium inosinate (E631), while guanylate is naturally associated with dried shiitake mushrooms. Public information does not confirm what every supplier uses.

Why is E627 always next to MSG?

Nucleotides and glutamate work together. A small amount of guanylate or inosinate multiplies the savory effect of monosodium glutamate several times over, so seasoning blends use them as a pair to hit a target flavor at lower total dose.

What can I use instead of E627?

Yeast extract, dried mushroom powder, tomato powder, miso, and soy sauce all deliver umami from clearly plant-based sources. Dried shiitake is the closest match. Guanylate is the compound that gives shiitake its savory depth.

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