Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Nongshim Tonkotsu Ramen Noodles ultra-processed?

101g Instant noodle soups Sold in the United States and Canada

Pack of Nongshim Tonkotsu Ramen Noodles

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:

  • 53 ingredients
  • 12 additives

Less processed instant noodle soups

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

Potato starch, enriched wheat flour, palm oil, spicy sauce (canola oil, red chili pepper, maltodextrin, sesame oil, sugar, salt, natural flavours, yellow corn flour, vinegar, ginger, broad bean paste, wheat starch, black pepper, wheat flour, tocopherols (antioxidant), disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, modified corn starch, corn syrup), wheat gluten, dried flakes (garlic, green onion), pork bone, pork fat, chicken broth, garlic, ginger, natural flavours (dairy), hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy protein, isomaltodextrin, disodium guanylate, sunflower oil, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, black pepper, disodium succinate, sodium sesquicarbonate, sodium phosphates, artificial beef flavour, onion, soy lecithin, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, riboflavin (colour), anchovy

Additives: E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E363 Succinic acid , E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500i Sodium carbonate , E500iii Sodium sesquicarbonate , E501 Potassium carbonates , E501i Potassium carbonate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

As written on the pack

Potato starch, enriched wheat flour, palm oil, spicy sauce (canola oil, red chili pepper, maltodextrin, sesame oil, sugar, salt, natural flavours, yellow corn flour, vinegar, ginger, broad bean paste, wheat starch, black pepper, wheat flour, tocopherols [antioxidant], disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, modified corn starch, corn syrup), wheat gluten, dried flakes (garlic, green onion), pork bone extract powder, pork fat, chicken broth, garlic, ginger, natural flavours (dairy), hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy protein, isomaltodextrin, disodium guanylate, sunflower oil, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, black pepper, disodium succinate, sodium sesquicarbonate, sodium phosphates, artificial beef flavour, onion, soy lecithin, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, riboflavin (colour), anchovy extract powder

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.

  • 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.
  • E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids 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.
  • 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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
Show 1 more
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.

  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
4 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 37 instant noodle soups

From least to most processed, this one ranks 25th. 95% of the instant noodle soups 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 37 instant noodle soups, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0031146056262, last edited 25 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.