Is Knorr Bovril Beef Bouillon Concentrate ultra-processed?

Beef broth Sold in Canada

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Maltodextrin
E415 Xanthan gum
E621 Monosodium glutamate
E900 Dimethylpolysiloxane and Methylphenylpolysiloxane
E900a Dimethyl polysiloxane

17 ingredients
4 additives
Nutri-Score E

Less processed beef broth

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

water, salt (processing marker), hydrolyzed soy protein, monosodium %dv* glutamate, caramel, corn starch (processing marker), sugars (processing marker) (sugar, maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker)), yeast extract, beef extract, spices, xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker), flavour (ultra-processing marker), dimethylpolysiloxane (ultra-processing marker), instructions (bien agiter doud u 22 % tr041)

Additives: E415 Xanthan gum , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E900 Dimethylpolysiloxane and Methylphenylpolysiloxane , E900a Dimethyl polysiloxane

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E621 Monosodium glutamate.

As written on the pack

water, salt, hydrolyzed soy protein, monosodium %dv* glutamate, caramel, corn starch (sulphites), sugars (sugar, maltodextrin), yeast extract, beef extract, spices, xanthan gum, flavour, dimethylpolysiloxane. contains: soy, sulphites. 0% instructions: bien agiter doud u 22 % tr041

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.

E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
E900 Dimethylpolysiloxane and Methylphenylpolysiloxane A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
E900a Dimethyl polysiloxane Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.

3 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.

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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 15 beef broth

From least to most processed, this one ranks 13th. 67% of the beef broth here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 15 beef broth, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0061400000281, last edited 13 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.