Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Maruchan Instant Lunch Beef Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup ultra-processed?

2.25oz Noodles Sold in the United States

Pack of Maruchan Instant Lunch Beef Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup

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:

  • 54 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed noodles

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

Enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (contains one and more of the following (canola), cottonseed, palm), preserved by tbhq, salt, vegetables (corn, carrot, garlic, onion, chive), contains less than 2% of (textured soy protein), maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, sugar, beef extract, caramel color, potassium carbonate, spices (celery seed), sodium (mono, hexameta, and tripoly), phosphate, yeast extract, sodium carbonate, soy sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt), hydrolyzed corn, wheat, soy protein, beef fat, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), lactose, chicken broth, soya lecithin, turmeric

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E319 Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (tbhq) , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

Enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: canola, cottonseed, palm) preserved by tbhq, salt, dehydrated vegetables (corn, carrot, garlic, onion, chive), contains less than 2% of: textured soy protein, maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, sugar, beef extract, caramel color, potassium carbonate, spices (celery seed), sodium (mono, hexameta, and/or tripoly) phosphate, yeast extract, sodium carbonate, soy sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt), hydrolyzed corn, wheat and soy protein, beef fat, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), lactose, chicken broth, soya lecithin, turmeric.

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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • E627 Disodium guanylate Disodium guanylate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • E631 Disodium inosinate Disodium inosinate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.

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.

  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 416 noodles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 311th. 73% of the noodles 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 416 noodles, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0041789001222, last edited 13 June 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.