Indian Instant Noodles: Why are there so many ingredients?

The back of an Instant Noodle packet reads like a chemistry kit. It seems like you might need an additional degree to figure out which brands are trying to make a good product vs trying to stitch one together with a bunch of additives. Here’s my breakdown:

Before we analyze each brand, let me tell you what to expect in an instant noodle packet.

Instant noodles = Noodles + Spices

Instant noodles, when first manufactured, were made to imitate the ramen noodles in Japan. Instant ramen noodles will contain:

1. Wheat Flour + Wheat gluten (optional for texture manipulation)
2. Water
3. Salt
4. Pottasium Carbonate and Sodium Carbonate (or sodium bicarbonate)
5. Palm Oil or Vegetable Oil

#4 (Pottasium Carbonate and Sodium Carbonate) is an alkaline substance added to give the springiness in the noodle which Ramen noodles are well known for. They are found in traditional Ramen noodles are well.

#5 is necessary since all instant noodles are “flash fried” in oil unless specified as “non fried” or “air fried.” Yes my dear friends, we are basically eating a fried sev-like substance that is soaked in flavor water! 🙂

Spice Packets usually contain:

1. Garlic Powder, Onion Powder
2. Spices like coriander powder, chili powder, etc
3. Flavor Enhancers or Yeast Extracts
4. Crushed noodle powder or hydrolyzed protein (for thickness)
5. Some kind of acid like Citric Acid

Regarding #3, What are the flavor enhancers? They appear between INS 620-640 range:

Should we eat flavor enhancers? While MSG is regarded as GRAS substance (Generally Regarded as Safe), it is added to increase the crave-ability factor of the product it is added to. So, keep it in mind.

Is there a difference between MSG and Yeast extract? They both are a source of glutamate, but MSG is synthetically manufactured and isolated. Yeast extract is basically a bunch of dead yeast cells that have been processed. While that may not sound appetizing, they are perfectly normal ingredient we use all the time in other products like bakers yeast, nutritional yeast or marmite. Yeast extract is just processed in a different way to concentrate the flavors.

Brand Analysis

Now that you know the base ingredients needed to make instant noodles, we can analyze the brands ingredient list. Instead of looking at the whole list, let us just identify the additives used on top of the base ingredients.

Any company that uses too many additives are best avoided.

Let’s jump in and see how some companies are doing.

First up, Ching’s secret:

Additional items in packet apart from the base ingredients are:

1. Pottasium Chloride – It says gelling agent, but it is sometimes used as for its salty taste without increasing already high levels of sodium in an instant noodle packet
2. Sodium Polyphosphate – Emulsifying agent
3. TBHQ (Anti oxidant)
4. Silicon Dioxide (Anti Caking agent)

Next is 2pm Noodles:

Additional items in packet apart from the base ingredients are:

1. Sodium Triphosphate – Emulsifier
2. Sodium CarboxyMethylcellulose – Stabilizer
3. Anti Caking agent – Aluminium Silicate

Next is Wai Wai’s quick

This is one of the only brands that has an added preservative. Fried noodles and sealed spice packets, I suppose, were not enough.

Additional items in packet apart from the base ingredients are:

1.  E451 – Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP)
2. E202 – Pottasium Sorbate
3. Anti caking agent Silicon Dioxide
4. Antioxidant – Tocopherol
5. Flavor Enhancers – 3 of them added to both noodles and the seasoning mix
6. Color – E150d (Caramel)
7. Corn Oil, Onion flavored oil
8. Maltodextrin
9. Flavoring Substance

Phew!!

Moving on, to Cup O Noodles

By the way, Nissin Foods (maker of Cup O Noodles) was the first company to start producing instant noodles in the world. But by the time they reached India in 1988, they fell way behind Nestle (Maggi) which although launched a mere 5 years earlier, was deeply embedded in the heart of Indians.

Additional items in packet apart from the base ingredients are:

1. Xanthan Gum – INS 415
2. Added Flavours and Natural Colour – INS 160ci (Paprika Extract)
3. TBHQ – INS 319

I only have a problem with the use of TBHQ in this product, Xanthan gum is nowadays used by many chefs and soon becoming a household ingredient. The colour used is also a Paprika extract only.

Finally, the queen of Instant Noodles in India: Maggi

Additional items in packet apart from the base ingredients are:

1. Pottasium Chloride – used as for its salty taste without increasing already high levels of sodium in an instant noodle packet
2. Sodium Tripolyphosphate – Emulsifier
3. Caramel Colour
4. Guar Gum
5. Pottasium Iodate – used as dough conditioner

Which is the best Instant Noodle packet?

Much as this may frustrate you all, I would say none of the above.

I have found a Trader Joe’s instant noodle packet with clean ingredients, but not everyone may have access to it. Here’s a blog site Mantou Joe which has a detailed description of it.

I believe the Slurrp Farm Millet Noodles has an excellent list of ingredients.

Which one to avoid?

That’s an easier answer. Avoid products with way too many additives.

Whether than number of additives you will tolerate for an occasional treat is 0 or 5 or 10 is a decision you have to make.

The more the additives – the more they are giving preference to manufacturing, profit and sales metrics – of quick output, keeping costs low and creating addictive tastes rather than the health of the consumer.

Conclusion

I have not covered all the noodles available in the market. But, this hopefully gives you a template to go about. I also wrote an article on Hindustan Times about Noodles. Do check it out. I made a video to go along with article that explains a little bit about the “why” behind the ingredients.

Hope this blog post was useful to you. Do post your favorite instant noodle product below in the comments. Has the ingredient list ever worried you or does it all come down to taste for this occasional treat? Chime in with your thoughts… I look forward to reading them.