GB/T 8967-2025Quality requirements for monosodium L-glutamate (English PDF)

Foreword

This Document was drafted as per the rules specified in GB/T 1.1-2020 Directives for Standardization - Part

1.Rules for the Structure and Drafting of Standardizing Documents. This Document specifies the technical requirements related to food quality. Food safety requirements can be found in relevant laws, regulations, policies, and food safety standards, etc. This Document replaces GB/T 8967-2007 Monosodium L-Glutamate. Compared with GB/T 8967-2007, the major technical changes of this Document are as follows besides the structural adjustments and editorial modifications.

--- Change the definitions of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG), salted monosodium L- glutamate, and special delicious monosodium L-glutamate (see Clause 3 of this Edition; Clause 4 of the 2007 Edition);

--- Change the requirements for raw and auxiliary materials (see

6.1 of this Edition;

6.1 of the 2007 Edition);

--- Delete the indicator requirements for the monosodium glutamate content of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG), salted monosodium L-glutamate, and special delicious monosodium L-glutamate (see 6.3.1, 6.3.2, and

6.3.3 of the 2007 Edition);

--- Change the indicator value for the loss on drying of special delicious monosodium L- glutamate (see

6.3.3 of this Edition;

6.3.3 of the 2007 Edition);

--- Delete the indicator requirements for iron (Fe) content (see 6.3.1, 6.3.2, and

6.3.3 of the 2007 Edition);

--- Delete the hygiene requirements (see

1 Scope

GB/T 8967-2025 is the Chinese national standard covering MSG as a traded commodity - the glutamate content and the optical rotation that shows it is the L form, the chloride, sulphate and heavy metal limits, the crystal appearance, and the grades from ordinary to the salted and flavour-enhanced blends. It replaces GB/T 8967-2007 and takes effect on 1 January 2027. It was issued on 2 December 2025 and takes effect on 1 January 2027, replacing GB/T 8967-2007. The document is under the responsibility of the Standardization Administration of China. This page is published from the official record of the 2025 edition; the clause text of a standard this recent is not yet in circulation, and the figures, limits and tables it contains are those of the document itself, delivered in full with the English translation.

This Document provides the product classification for monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) and specifies the requirements, inspection rules, marking, packaging, transportation, and storage; it also describes the corresponding test methods. This Document applies to the production, inspection, and sale of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG).

2 Normative References

The provisions in following documents become the essential provisions of this Document through reference in this Document. For the dated documents, only the versions with the dates indicated are applicable to this Document; for the undated documents, only the latest version (including all the amendments) is applicable to this Document.

GB/T 191 Packaging - Pictorial marking for handling of goods

GB/T 601 Chemical reagent - Preparations of reference titration solutions

GB/T 602 Chemical reagent - Preparations of standard solutions for impurity

GB/T 603 Chemical reagent - Preparations of reagent solutions for use in test methods

GB/T 6682 Water for analytical laboratory use - Specification and test methods

GB/T 45352 General rule for the quality of granulated chicken bouillon

JJF 1070 Rules of Metrological Testing for Net Quantity of Products in Prepackages with Fixed Content

3 Terms and Definitions

For the purposes of this Document, the following terms and definitions apply.

3.1 Monosodium L-glutamate; MSG A white crystalline or powdered condiment with a special umami flavor, made from carbohydrates (such as starch, corn, molasses, etc.) through fermentation, extraction, neutralization, crystallization, separation, and drying by microorganisms (such as corynebacterium glutamicum).

3.2 Salted monosodium L-glutamate A mixture that adds monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) with quantitative refined salt.

3.3 Special delicious monosodium L-glutamate A mixture that adds monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) with quantitative flavor enhancers, such as disodium nucleotides [Guanosine 5'-monophosphate disodium salt (GMP), disodium 5'- inosinate (IMP), or disodium 5'-ribonucleotide (IMP+GMP)].

4 Chemical Name, Molecular Formula, Relative Molecular

Mass, and Structural Formula

4.1 Chemical Name L-glutamic acid monosodium salt monohydrate (monosodium L-glutamate monohydrate)

5 Product Classification

Based on added ingredients, products are classified into three categories.

--- Monosodium L-glutamate (MSG);