Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Samyang Buldak Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor Ramen ultra-processed?

70g Instant noodles Sold in the United States

Pack of Samyang Buldak Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor Ramen

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:

  • 49 ingredients
  • 3 additives

Less processed instant 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

flour, wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, vegetable oil, food starch-modified, palm oil, wheat gluten, salt, glycerin, yeast, color, sauce (water), cheese sauce, mozzarella cheese, milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, whey, yeast extract, water, skim milk powder, sugar, soy sauce, soybeans, wheat, salt, garlic powder, artificial chicken flavor powder, maltodextrin, hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed wheat protein, onion, garlic, chili pepper oleoresin, color, flavor, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, sesame seeds, sesame oil, milk, cream

Additives: E422 Glycerol , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

As written on the pack

enriched flour, wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, vegetable oil, food starch-modified, palm oil, wheat gluten, salt, glycerin, yeast, color, sauce: water, cheese sauce, mozzarella cheese, milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, whey, yeast extract, water, skim milk powder, sugar, soy sauce powder, soybeans, wheat, salt, garlic powder, artificial chicken flavor powder, maltodextrin, hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed wheat protein, onion, garlic, chili pepper oleoresin, color, flavor, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, sesame seeds, sesame oil, milk, cream

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.

  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
7 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.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 242 instant noodles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 185th. 93% of the instant 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 242 instant noodles, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 8801073211254, last edited 9 August 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.