Is Samyang original buldak spicy 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:
- Gluten
- E101 Riboflavin
- E1420 Acetylated starch
- E160c Paprika extract
- E322 Lecithins
- E412 Guar gum
- and 1 more
- 36 ingredients
- 10 additives
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Noodle 76.7% (Wheat flour), e1420 (ultra-processing marker), e412 (ultra-processing marker), Palm oil, Wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), Salt (processing marker), e422 (ultra-processing marker), e322 (ultra-processing marker), Soybean oil (processing marker), e501, e500, e339, e330, Water, Tocopherol, Green tea extract, e101 Soup 22.7%, Water, Artificial chicken flavour, Soy sauce (processing marker), Sugar (processing marker), Habanero pepper, Chili pepper, Soybean oil (processing marker), Onion, Chili pepper seed oil, Garlic, e1420 (ultra-processing marker), Chili pepper oleoresin, e160c (ultra-processing marker), Black pepper, Curry seasoning, Flake 0.6% (sesame), laver
Additives: E101 Riboflavin , E1420 Acetylated starch , E160c Paprika extract , E322 Lecithins , E330 Citric acid , E339 Sodium phosphates , E412 Guar gum , E422 Glycerol , E500 Sodium carbonates , E501 Potassium carbonates
As written on the pack
Noodle (76.7%): Wheat flour, Thickener: (E1420, E412), Palm oil, Wheat gluten, Salt, Emulsifier: [E422, E322 (Contains: Soy)], Soybean oil, Acidity regulator: (E501, E500, E339, E330), Water, Tocopherol powder (Contains Soy), Green tea extract, Colour : E101 Soup (22.7%): Water, Artificial chicken flavour (Contains: Gluten, Soy, Celery), Soy sauce, Sugar, Habanero pepper, Chili pepper, Soybean oil, Onion, Chili pepper seed oil, Garlic, Thickener: E1420, Chili pepper oleoresin, Colour : E160c, Black pepper, Curry seasoning (Contains: Celery) Flake (0.6%): Roasted 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.
- E1420 Acetylated starch 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.
- E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
- 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.
- E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
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.
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.
- 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 156th. 93% of the instant noodles here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 8801073140578, last edited 20 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.