Is Samyang Buldak HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 42 ingredients
- 13 additives
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
noodle 76.7% (wheat flour 52%), tapioca starch (processing marker) 12%, palm oil 11%, wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), soybean oil (processing marker), water, potassium carbonate (e501), sodium carbonate (e500), sodium phosphate dibasic (e339), sodium polyphosphate (ultra-processing marker) (e452), citric acid (e330, guar gum (ultra-processing marker) (e412)), lecithin (ultra-processing marker) (e322), riboflavin (ultra-processing marker) (e101), soup 22.7% (water), artificial chicken flavor powder, white sugar (processing marker), soy sauce (processing marker), red pepper, soybean oil (processing marker), onion powder, chilli, salt (processing marker), garlic powder, tapioca starch (processing marker), yeast extract powder, black pepper powder, curry powder, flake 0.6% (roast sesame), laver
Additives: E101 Riboflavin , E101i Riboflavin , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E339 Sodium phosphates , E412 Guar gum , E452 Polyphosphates , E452i Sodium polyphosphate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500i Sodium carbonate , E501 Potassium carbonates , E501i Potassium carbonate
As written on the pack
noodle(76,7%): wheat flour(52%), tapioca starch(12%), palm oil(11%), wheat gluten, salt, soybean oil, water, acidity regulator[potassium carbonate(e501), sodium carbonate(e500), sodium phosphate dibasic(e339), sodium polyphosphate(e452), citric acid(e330)], thickener [guar gum(e412)], emulsifier[lecithin(e322)], colour[riboflavin(e101)], soup(22,7%): water, artificial chicken flavor powder, white sugar, soy sauce, red pepper powder, soybean oil , onion powder, chilli extract, salt, garlic powder, tapioca starch, yeast extract powder, black pepper powder, curry powder, flake(0,6%): roast sesame, roasted laver
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.
- E101 Riboflavin Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of 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.
- E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
- E452 Polyphosphates 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.
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.
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.
- 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.
Among 242 instant noodles
From least to most processed, this one ranks 108th. 93% of the instant noodles here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 8801073141896, 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.
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.