Is e631 vegan?
E631 is potentially vegan - it can be derived from plants or animals. You should ask the manufacturer for more details.
Checking out an ingredients list? 👇
Vegan Ingredient Checker
Scan labels, check if ingredients are vegan
"You are amazing, this has saved me so much time when grocery shopping!"
— Austin, a user who reached out with feedback
"It's been a great tool since starting my journey! You take a pic of the nutrition/ingredients, and it'll warn you of anything questionable or not vegan. 😁"
— Ashe, a Vegan For Beginners Facebook Group member
"Use a vegan app when you go shopping, I use WhatsVegan."
— Dóra, a Vegan For Beginners Facebook Group member
Learn more
"You are amazing, this has saved me so much time when grocery shopping!"
— Austin, a user who reached out with feedback
"It's been a great tool since starting my journey! You take a pic of the nutrition/ingredients, and it'll warn you of anything questionable or not vegan. 😁"
— Ashe, a Vegan For Beginners Facebook Group member
"Use a vegan app when you go shopping, I use WhatsVegan."
— Dóra, a Vegan For Beginners Facebook Group member
So, what is e631?
E631 is the European food additive code for disodium inosinate, a savory flavor enhancer. It works alongside monosodium glutamate to create an umami taste and is commonly added to instant noodles, potato chips, savory snack seasonings, canned soups, and commercial sauces.
This ingredient can be derived from either animal or plant sources. Animal-derived disodium inosinate is typically extracted from fish, such as sardines, or from meat byproducts like pork or beef. Alternatively, plant-based disodium inosinate is produced through the bacterial fermentation of plant sugars, often sourced from tapioca starch, corn, or sugar beets.
Because ingredient lists rarely disclose the origin of the compound, E631 is classified as possibly vegan. A vegan certification on the package or direct confirmation from the manufacturer is required to verify whether a particular product uses a plant-derived or animal-derived source.
How to quickly find the source of ingredients like e631?
We've built a vegan ingredients scanner that classifies food ingredients as "vegan", "non-vegan", or "potentially vegan".
It allows you to avoid non-vegan ingredients - just take a picture of a product's ingredient list, and the app tells you if the product is vegan or not.
We'll never send you spam.