Calcium 5'-ribonucleotides
CALCIUM 5'-RIBONUCLEOTIDES · E634 · 634 · Calcium 5'-ribonucleotides · 5'-RIBONUCLEÓTIDO DE CALCIO · 5'-RIBONUKLEOTID TAL-KALĊJU · 5'-RIBONUKLEOTID VÁPENATÝ · 5'-RYBONUKLEOTYDY WAPNIA · 5'RIBONUCLEOTIDE DI CALCIO · 5’-RIBONUCLEOTIDĂ DE CALCIU · 5’-Ribonucleótidos de cálcio · 5’-RIBONUCLÉOTIDE CALCIQUE · 5’-rybonukleotydy wapnia · 5’ribonukleotidy vápenaté · 5′-ribonucleotide de calciu · 5′-ribonucleotidi di calcio · 5′-ribonucleótidos de calcio · 5′-ribonucléotide calcique · CALCIUM 5'-RIBONUCLEOTIDE · Calcium 5′-ribonucleotides · Calcium-5'-ribonucleotiden · CALCIUM-5'-RIBONUKLEOTID · Calcium-5′-ribonucleotid · Calcium-5′-ribonucleotider · KALCIJA 5'-RIBONUKLEOTĪDS · Kalcija 5’-ribonukleotīdi · KALCIJEV 5′-RIBONUKLEOTID · kalcijevi 5’-ribonukleotidi · Kalcijevi 5′-ribonukleotidi · KALCIO 5′-RIBONUKLEOTIDAS · Kalcio5'-ribonukleotidai · KALCIUM-5'-RIBONUKLEOTID · KALCIUM-5'-RIBONUKLEOTIDER · Kalcium-5'-ribonukleotidok · Kalcium-5’-ribonukleotider · KALSIUM-5'-RIBONUKLEOTIDI · Kalsium-5’-ribonukleotidit · KALTSIUM-5'-RIBONUKLEOTIID · Kaltsium-5′-ribonukleotiidid · Kalċju 5'-ribonukleotidi · Άλατα με ασβέστιο των 5′-ριβονουκλεοτιδίων · КАЛЦИЕВ 5'-РИБОНУКЛЕОТИД · Калциеви 5’-рибонуклеотидиE number E634INS 634
Listed as a flavour enhancer by Codex.
Listed as flavour enhancers (Codex)
- Codex Alimentarius: Flavour enhancer — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 634
Calcium ribonucleotides are the mixed inosinate and guanylate salts, sold together because the two work better as a pair than either does alone.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Canada | No listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here. | ||
| European Union | Permitted, with conditions | 70 food categories Show every food category
| Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex IIand 69 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Great Britain | Permitted, with conditions | 68 food categories Show every food category
| Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II (as at 28 June 2024)and 67 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Japan | Permitted, with conditions | Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 444, 5'―リボヌクレオチドカルシウム(別名5'―リボヌクレオタイドカルシウム) (“Calcium 5' -Ribonucleotide” in the unofficial English translation). …Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 444, 5'―リボヌクレオチドカルシウム(別名5'―リボヌクレオタイドカルシウム) (“Calcium 5' -Ribonucleotide” in the unofficial English translation). Standards for use — Specifications and Standards for Foods, Food Additives, etc. (MHW Notification No. 370 of 1959), Part II (Food Additives), F (Standards for use): The Notification sets no standard for use (使用基準) for this additive, so it is not restricted there to particular foods or amounts. Compositional specifications for this additive, in the same Notification, are not imported and are not shown here; nor are the general rules in F 添加物一般, which apply to every additive. | Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act (MHW Ordinance No. 23 of 1948), Appended Table 1retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| South Korea | Permitted, with conditions | Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. …Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. 일반식품첨가물 (general food additives), 5'-리보뉴클레오티드칼슘 (“Calcium 5'-Ribonucleotide”, the English the Code prints beside it); the Code marks it as also usable as a nutrient fortifier; 3. 영양강화제 (nutrient fortifiers), 5‘-리보뉴클레오티드칼슘; nutrient: 뉴클레오 티드; the Code marks it as also usable as a general food additive. Main use (주용도) of 5'-리보뉴클레오티드칼슘: 향미증진제. Standard for use (사용기준) of 5'-리보뉴클레오티드칼슘: (1) [to be used under the general standard for use in II. 2. 1), the minimum amount that achieves the technical effect, with no limit set for this additive in particular] “II. 2. 1)의 규정에 따라 사용하여야 한다.” Standard for use (사용기준) of 5‘-리보뉴클레오티드칼슘: (1) [to be used under the general standard for use in II. 2. 1), the minimum amount that achieves the technical effect, with no limit set for this additive in particular] “II. 2. 1)의 규정에 따라 사용하여야 한다.” The Korean is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the current Code (the English version on MFDS’s website is the 2020 edition and has no legal effect); the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications (Part IV) are not imported, nor are the general standards in Part II, which apply to every additive. | Standards and Specifications for Food Additives (식품첨가물의 기준 및 규격), MFDS Notification, Part III (Standards for use, by item)retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| United States | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. | ||
| Codex Alimentarius | Permitted, with conditions | 3 food categories no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) Show every food category and its notes
| CXS 192-1995 Table Three, INS 634and 3 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07 |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| European Union | — | 46 several limits, 2 quantum satis, 22 no quantity stated |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | — | 2 quantum satis, 66 no quantity stated |
| Japan | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| Codex Alimentarius | — | 4 GMP |
No regulator sets a figure for Calcium 5'-ribonucleotides. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.
What it is made from
Made by neutralising a mixture of inosinic and guanylic acids, produced by fermentation or from yeast RNA, with calcium.
- Vegan status depends on the source
- Vegetarian status depends on the source
- May raise a halal question
- May raise a kosher question
This is not an omission. What this additive is made from is not fixed — depending on the manufacturer it may be plant, animal or microbial in origin, nobody is required to say which, and the same product can change source between production runs. Ask the manufacturer if it matters to you; a label cannot answer it.
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
The two specifications, compared
The European Union sets identity and purity by regulation; JECFA publishes its own through FAO, advisory until a country adopts it. Both documents are below in full. These are the parameters each puts a number on.
| Parameter | European Union | JECFA |
|---|---|---|
| Assay | no less than 97 % | no less than 97 % |
| Lead | no more than 1 mg/kg | no more than 1 mg/kg |
The two documents state the same figures for every parameter compared here.
How the EU defines it
The legal specification an additive must meet to be sold as this E number in the EU — what it is, how it may be made, and the purity it must reach. From Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012.
E 634 Calcium 5'-ribonucleotide
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Chemical name
- Calcium 5′-ribonucleotide is essentially a mixture of calcium inosine-5′-monophosphate and calcium guanosine-5′-monophosphate
- Chemical formula
- C₁₀H₁₁N₄CaO₈P · nH₂O C₁₀H₁₂N₅CaO₈P · nH₂O
- Assay
- Content of both major components not less than 97,0 %, and of each component not less than 47,0 % and not more than 53 %, in every case on the anhydrous basis
- Solubility
- Sparingly soluble in water
- Description
- Odourless, white or nearly white crystals or powder
Identification
- Test for ribose
- Passes test
- Test for organic phosphate
- Passes test
- Test for calcium
- Passes test
- pH
- Between 7,0 and 8,0 (0,05 % solution)
Purity criteria
- Water content
- Not more than 23,0 % (Karl Fischer)
- Other nucleotides
- Not detectable by thin-layer chromatography
- Lead
- Not more than 1 mg/kg
How JECFA defines it
The international specification for identity and purity, prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and published by FAO. It is a different document from any above, written by a different body and revised on its own cycle; it is advisory, and a country adopts it or does not.
INS 634 Calcium 5'-Ribonucleotides
Synonyms: Calcium ribonucleotides, INS No. 634 Calcium ribonucleotides
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Specification history
- Prepared at the 18th JECFA (1974), published in NMRS 54B (1975) and in FNP 52 (1992). Metals and arsenic specifications revised at the 57 th JECFA (2001). An ADI ‘not specified’ was established at the 18 th JECFA (1974).
- Chemical names
- (Mixture of) calcium inosine-5'-monophosphate and calcium guanosine-5'- monophosphate
- Chemical formula
- C 10 H 11 CaN 4 O 8 P · x H 2 O and C 10 H 12 CaN 5 O 8 P · x H 2 O
- Structural formula
- Calcium 5’-guanylate Calcium 5’-inosinate
- Assay
- Not less than 97% and not more than the equivalent of 102% of C 10 H 11 CaN 4 O 8 P and C 10 H 12 CaN 5 O 8 P, calculated on the anhydrous basis. The proportion of C 10 H 11 CaN 4 O 8 P or C 10 H 12 CaN 5 O 8 P to the sum of them is between 47% and 53%.
- DESCRIPTION
- Odourless, white or off-white crystals or powder
- FUNCTIONAL USES
- Flavour enhancer
- METHOD OF ASSAY
- Calculate the contents of calcium inosine-5'-monophosphate (I) and calcium guanosine-5'-monophosphate (G) in the sample by the following equation, using values for I ca and G ca obtained as described below. Weigh accurately about 650 mg of the sample, and dissolve in water to make 500 ml (Solution A). To determine I ca (calcium inosine-5'-monophosphate), take a 1-ml portion of Solution A, add 4 ml of 6 N hydrochloric acid and water to make to 10 ml. Heat in a water bath for 40 min, cool, add 0.4 g of zinc powder, allow to stand for 50 min, shaking occasionally and vigorously, and add water to make to 20 ml. Filter through filter paper. To a 10-ml portion of the filtrate add 1 ml of 6 N hydrochloric acid, and add 1 ml of a 1 in 1,000 sodium nitrite solution, cooling in an ice-water bath. Shake well, allow to stand for 10 min, add 1 ml of a 1 in 200 ammonium sulfamate solution, shake well, and allow to stand for 5 min. Add 1 ml of a 1 in 500 N-(1-naphthyl)-ethylenediamine dihydrochloride solution, shake well, allow to stand for 15 min at room temperature, and add water to make to 20 ml (Sample solution). For the control, prepare in the same manner as the sample, using 1 ml of water instead of Solution A. Determine the absorbance of the sample solution at 515 nm against the control solution. To prepare calibration curves, weigh accurately about 3 mg each of disodium 5'-inosinate and disodium 5'-guanylate, and dissolve respectively in 100 ml of 0.01 N hydrochloric acid. Determine the absorbance at 250 nm on the solution of disodium 5'-inosinate and at 260 nm on the solution of disodium 5'- guanylate, using 0.01 N hydrochloric acid as the control. Determine the molecular extinction coefficients E I and E G , and calculate the contents of (I) disodium inosine-5'-monophosphate and (G) disodium guanosine-5'- monophosphate by the equations: Weigh accurately a quantity of each which is equivalent to about 50 mg, combine and dissolve in water to make 200 ml (Solution B). To 1-ml, 2-ml and 3-ml portions of Solution B add 4 ml of 6 N hydrochloric acid and make each to 10 ml with water. Prepare Standard Solutions in the same manner as directed for preparing Sample Solution from Solution A. Determine the absorbance of each Standard Solution at 515 nm and prepare the calibration curve. For the control, use the control solution used for Sample Solution. Calculate the content of I (disodium inosine-5'-monophosphate) from the calibration curve and the absorbance of Sample Solution. From the content of I, calculate the content of I ca (calcium inosine 5'- monophosphate) as 0.985 x I. To determine G ca (calcium guanosine-5'-monophosphate), take 1 ml of Solution A, add 4 ml of 2 N hydrochloric acid and water to make to 10 ml. Heat in a water bath for 30 min, cool, add 2 ml of Folin-Ciocalteu TS and 5 ml of a 4 in 5 sodium carbonate solution. Allow to stand for 15 min, and add water to make to 50 ml. Centrifuge if necessary, and use the supernatant for the test (Sample Solution). Prepare the control in the same manner as the Sample Solution, using 1 ml o f water instead of Solution A. Determine the absorbance of the Sample Solution at 750 nm. To 1-ml, 2-ml and 3-ml portions of Solution B, add 4 ml of 2 N hydrochloric acid and make each to 10 ml with water. Prepare Standard Solutions in the same manner as directed in preparing Sample Solution. Determine the absorbance of each Standard Solution at 750 nm, and prepare the calibration curve. For the control, use the control solution used for Sample Solution. Calculate the content of G (disodium guanosine-5'-monophos-phate) from the calibration curve and the absorbance of Sample Solution. From the content of G calculate the content of Gca (calcium guanosine-5'- monophosphate) as 0.986 x G.
Identification
- Solubility (Vol. 4)
- Sparingly soluble in water
- Test for ribose (Vol. 4)
- Passes test
- Test for organic phosphate (Vol. 4)
- Passes test Test 5 ml of a 1 in 2,000 solution
- Test for inosinic acid
- To 2 ml of a 1 in 2,000 solution add 2 ml of 10% hydrochloric acid and 0.1 g of zinc powder, heat in a water bath for 10 min, and filter. Cool the filtrate in ice water, add 1 ml of a 3 in 1,000 sodium nitrite solution, shake well, and allow to stand for 10 min. Add 1 ml of a 1 in 200 ammonium sulfamate solution, shake well, and allow to stand for 5 min. Add 1 ml of a 1 in 500 N-(1-naphthyl)-ethylenediamine dihydrochloride solution. A violet red colour is produced.
- Test for guanylic acid
- To 1 ml of a 1 in 5,000 solution add 1 ml of 10% hydrochloric acid, heat in a water bath for 10 min, cool, and add 0.5 ml of Folin-Ciocalteu TS and 2 ml of saturated sodium carbonate solution. A blue colour is produced.
- Test for calcium (Vol. 4)
- Passes test
Purity criteria
- Water (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 23% (Karl Fischer Method)
- pH (Vol. 4)
- 7.0 - 8.0 (1 in 2,000 soln)
- Water soluble matter
- To 1 g of the sample, add 50 ml of water, allow to stand for 10 min with occasional shaking, filter through analytical grade filter paper (Whatman No. 42 or equivalent). Evaporate a 25 ml portion of the solution to dryness on a water bath and dry the residue at 1057 for 1 h. Residue weighs less than 80 mg.
- Amino acids
- Not detectable by the following test: To 5 ml of a 1 in 2,000 solution add 1 ml of ninhydrin TS and heat for 3 min. No colour is produced.
- Related foreign substances
- Chromatographically not detectable Test 5 μl of a 1 in 1,000 soln. Only inosinic acid and 5’-guanylic acid are detected
- Lead (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 1 mg/kg Determine using an atomic absorption technique appropriate to the specified level. The selection of sample size and method of sample preparation may be based on the principles of the method described in Volume 4, “Instrumental Methods.”
Every name it appears under
43 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E634
INS number
- 634
As it appears in regulation
- Calcium 5'-ribonucleotides
Other names
- CALCIUM 5'-RIBONUCLEOTIDES
Hazard reference values
| Type | Value | Population | Assessed by | Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADI | not specified | — | JECFA | 1974 |
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is E 634?
- E 634 is Calcium 5'-ribonucleotides. Calcium ribonucleotides are the mixed inosinate and guanylate salts, sold together because the two work better as a pair than either does alone.
- What is Calcium 5'-ribonucleotides used for in food?
- It is listed as a flavour enhancer — the role Codex assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Calcium 5'-ribonucleotides permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, the EU, Great Britain, Japan, South Korea and the Codex standard permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Calcium 5'-ribonucleotides vegan?
- It depends on the source, and a label will not tell you. Calcium 5'-ribonucleotides can be made from plant or animal material, manufacturers are not obliged to say which, and the same product can change between production runs. Anyone who needs to know has to ask the manufacturer.
Sources for this page
- eu retrieved 2026-10-18
- gb retrieved 2026-10-18
- jp retrieved 2026-10-18
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
- gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
- euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18
- jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
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