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Is Balaji Wafers Noodle Sticks Masala ultra-processed?

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Pack of Balaji Wafers Noodle Sticks Masala

Yes, it's ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

  • 37 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

refined wheat flour (maida), edible vegetable oil (palmolein, rice bran), edible common salt, sugar, tapioca starch, spices, condiments 2% (chilli, coriander, cumin, mango, black pepper, clove, fenugreek, cinnamon, turmeric), corn star dehydrated vegetable powder (onion, garlic), maltodextrin hydrolyzed vegetable protein, flavouring (natural flavouring, nature identical flavouring), substances (turmeric, garlic), acidity regulator (ns 330), yeast extract, anticaking agent (e551), flavour enhancer (e635), proprietary food

Additives: E330 Citric acid , E551 Silicon dioxide , E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide

As written on the pack

REFINED WHEAT FLOUR (MAIDA), EDIBLE VEGETABLE OIL (PALMOLEIN, RICE BRAN), EDIBLE COMMON SALT, SUGAR, TAPIOCA STARCH, SPICES & CONDIMENTS 2% (CHILLI, CORIANDER, CUMIN, DRY MANGO, BLACK PEPPER, CLOVE, FENUGREEK, CINNAMON, TURMERIC), CORN STAR DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE POWDER (ONION, GARLIC), MALTODEXTRIN HYDROLYZED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (SOYA), NATURAL & NATURE IDENTICAL FLAVOURING SUBSTANCES (TURMERIC, GARLIC), ACIDITY REGULATOR (NS 330), YEAST EXTRACT, ANTICAKING AGENT (INS 551), FLAVOUR ENHANCER (INS 635) PROPRIETARY FOOD

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • E551 Silicon dioxide A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
  • Flavour enhancer Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (E621) strengthen savoury taste without adding a flavour of their own.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
5 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

  • Anti-caking agent Anti-caking agents are substances which reduce the tendency of individual particles of a foodstuff to adhere to one another.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 8906010503451, last edited 22 April 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
  • The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
  • NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.