YenzoIs hạt nêm the same as bột ngọt?
No. On the four hạt nêm labels read here, the flavour enhancer 621 (bột ngọt) is one line in a list with iodised salt, sugar and cassava starch [4][5][6][7]. The Ajinomoto bột ngọt label lists one ingredient [1].
Hạt nêm and bột ngọt: what is the difference?
· 6 min read
Bột ngọt (MSG) is a single substance, monosodium glutamate (E621). Hạt nêm (seasoning granules) is a mixture: the four hạt nêm labels read here all start with iodised salt and have the flavour enhancers 621 and E631 (Knorr prints them by name). This article sets the Knorr and Maggi labels next to the Ajinomoto bột ngọt label.
Summary
- The Ajinomoto bột ngọt label lists one ingredient: pure monosodium glutamate, 99+%.
- All four hạt nêm labels start with iodised salt and list the flavour enhancers 621 and 631.
- Knorr prints flavour enhancers by name; Maggi prints them by number.
- Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT lists 621, 627, 631 and 635 with the function flavour enhancer.
Two products, two kinds of label
On the Ajinomoto bột ngọt 400 g pack the ingredient line reads: “Monosodium Glutamate tinh khiết 99+% (chất điều vị), chất phụ gia thực phẩm” (pure monosodium glutamate 99+%, flavour enhancer, food additive) [1]. That is one substance; its name in Appendix 1 is mononatri L-glutamat, code 621 [2].
Bột ngọt was also the subject of a regulatory notice. On 1 April 2025 the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) issued Notice 606/TB-ATTP asking for four bột ngọt items to be suspended from 28 March 2025, the reason being a breach of the rules on product labelling [3].
The article sets the labels side by side and says only what the labels print. Only the ADI and the legal status come from EFSA and Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT.
Five labels side by side
The table comes from retailer or manufacturer product pages; the exact wording of each label is in the Sources section. The Maggi rows come from the Nestlé Professional site; the chicken and shiitake ones are 6x2 kg packs. Knorr prints flavour enhancers by name, so the table gives the matching code from Appendix 1.
| Product | Additives on the label | Highest level |
|---|---|---|
| Ajinomoto bột ngọt 400 g[1] | Pure monosodium glutamate 99+% E621 | low |
| Knorr hạt nêm, pork loin, marrow bone[4] | Mononatri L-glutamat E621; stabiliser 1442 E1442; disodium 5'-ribonucleotide E635; disodium 5'-inosinate E631; synthetic beta-carotene E160a | low |
| Maggi premium double bone marrow[5] | E621; E631 E627; caramel E150c; beta-carotene E160a | low |
| Maggi chicken[6] | E621 E631 E627 | low |
| Maggi premium shiitake mushroom[7] | E621 E631 E627 | low |
The Maggi chicken label prints “bột thịt gà và nước cốt gà hầm nguyên con 1 g*” (chicken powder and whole-chicken stock 1 g*) [6]. The Maggi shiitake label prints “bột nấm hương (nấm đông cô) 2g*” (shiitake powder 2 g*), with a footnote that the amount is per 1 kg of product [7]. These figures are quoted from the labels, not measured by Yenzo.
The codes that appear on the labels
The four flavour enhancers in the table are all named in Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT with the function “chất điều vị”: 621 [2], 627 [2], 631 [2] and 635 [2]. The names printed on the Knorr label match these rows.
- E621 monosodium glutamate, flavour enhancer. EFSA set a group ADI of 30 mg/kg body weight a day for glutamic acid and glutamates [8].
- E627 disodium guanylate, E631 disodium inosinate and E635 disodium 5'-ribonucleotides: flavour enhancers. The Maggi labels list 631 and 627; the Knorr label lists 635 and 631.
- E1442 hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate (Knorr prints “chất ổn định 1442”): Appendix 1 gives the functions anticaking agent, emulsifier, stabiliser and thickener [2].
- E160a beta-carotene and E150c caramel III: colours. The row “beta-caroten tổng hợp” (synthetic beta-carotene) in Appendix 1 is code 160a(i) [2].
Each code chip in this article links to that code's own page on Yenzo. That page gives its status in Vietnam with a cited source, and the ADI where a source exists.
How to read a hạt nêm or bột ngọt label
- A bột ngọt label has one main ingredient; a hạt nêm label has many lines such as salt, sugar, cassava starch and flavour enhancers [1][6].
- Flavour enhancers may be printed by name (Knorr: “Mononatri L-glutamat”) or by number (Maggi: “chất điều vị 621”) [4][5].
- A label can list flavour enhancers in two places: Maggi double bone marrow prints “chất điều vị 621” and then “chất điều vị (631, 627)” elsewhere in the list [5].
- Some ingredients carry an amount and a star mark, for example “(21 g)**” with the footnote “trên 1 kg sản phẩm” (per 1 kg of product) [4].
- Flavourings such as “hương vị thịt tổng hợp” (synthetic meat flavour) or “hương liệu giống tự nhiên và tự nhiên” (nature-identical and natural flavourings) are listed as a separate ingredient with no code number [5][7].
Scientific opinion on glutamates
“Based on the NOAEL of 3,200 mg monosodium glutamate/kg bw per day from the neurodevelopmental toxicity study and applying the default uncertainty factor of 100, the Panel derived a group acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 30 mg/kg bw per day, expressed as glutamic acid, for glutamic acid and glutamates (E 620-625).”
Re-evaluation of glutamic acid (E 620), sodium glutamate (E 621), potassium glutamate (E 622), calcium glutamate (E 623), ammonium glutamate (E 624) and magnesium glutamate (E 625) as food additives[8]
This is a group ADI for glutamic acid and the glutamates E 620–625, not for bột ngọt alone [8]. In the same abstract EFSA notes that intake in some population groups exceeds the proposed ADI [8]. EFSA published the re-evaluation in 2017 [8].
Additives in this article
Questions
Is hạt nêm harmful?
Yenzo gives no general verdict on hạt nêm. The article shows which codes are on the label and the ADI where one exists, for example 30 mg/kg body weight a day for glutamates according to EFSA [8].
What does hạt nêm do in food?
Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT gives 621, 627, 631 and 635 the function flavour enhancer [2][2][2][2]. That is the function the list gives these substances.
How do hạt nêm and bột ngọt compare?
The Ajinomoto bột ngọt lists one ingredient, monosodium glutamate [1]. The Knorr and Maggi hạt nêm add salt, sugar, cassava starch and three flavour enhancers, plus colours or a meat powder [4][5][6][7].
Sources
- Bột ngọt Ajinomoto gói 400g — thành phần — King Food Mart, 22 October 2026
- Thông tư 24/2019/TT-BYT (văn bản hợp nhất 09/VBHN-BYT), Phụ lục 1: dòng 298 (INS 621), 304 (INS 627), 308 (INS 631), 312 (INS 635), 391 (INS 1442), 28 (INS 160a(i)) — Bộ Y tế, 6 September 2024
- Cục An toàn thực phẩm đề nghị tạm dừng lưu thông hàng hóa theo Thông báo số 606 — Báo Giáo dục và Thời đại (giaoduc.net.vn), 4 April 2025
- Hạt nêm Knorr Thịt Thăn Xương Ống & Tủy gói 900g — thành phần — LOTTE Mart Việt Nam, 22 October 2026
- Hạt nêm Maggi cao cấp gấp đôi xương tủy (400g) — thành phần — Nestlé Professional Việt Nam, 22 October 2026
- Hạt nêm Maggi thịt gà ngon ngon (gói 6x2kg cho bếp chuyên nghiệp) — thành phần — Nestlé Professional Việt Nam, 22 October 2026
- Hạt nêm cao cấp Maggi nấm hương (gói 6x2kg cho bếp chuyên nghiệp) — thành phần — Nestlé Professional Việt Nam, 22 October 2026
- Re-evaluation of glutamic acid (E 620), sodium glutamate (E 621), potassium glutamate (E 622), calcium glutamate (E 623), ammonium glutamate (E 624) and magnesium glutamate (E 625) as food additives — EFSA Journal 2017;15(7):4910, 12 July 2017
Updated: 22 October 2026