This article looks into one of the most frequently asked questions regarding vegan friendly instant meals: Is Artificial Chicken Flavor Vegan?
The question at hand is very tough to answer because the processing and ingredients used in “artificial chicken flavor” will vary from company to company. With that being said, artificial chicken flavor is sometimes non-vegan because it contains dairy (milk or lactose) or egg products. The only way to ensure a product containing “artificial chicken flavor” is vegan is to contact the company directly.
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1972 US Patent - Artificial Chicken Flavor
In 1972, Marcel Andre Perret of Florasynth Inc was granted a patent on an artificial chicken flavor. Within the patent, it states, “The artificial chicken flavor composition of the invention is a combination of a hexose, a bland protein hydrolysate, an arachidonic acid compound, such as arachidonic acid, or methyl and/or ethyl arachidonate, or a mixture of any thereof, and cysteine and/or cystine, or a nontoxic acid addition salt thereof.”
As all of these ingredients are chemical compounds, it is hard to state their origins. However, it appears that they all have possible plant-based origin while some also have potential animal-based origins.
The patent goes on to state, “In addition to the above ingredients, which are essential ingredients of the compositions of the invention, there can also be employed flavor-enhancing ingredients of conventional types, such as monosodium glutamate, Mertaste (5′-inosinic acid and 5′-guanylic acid), spices of various types, ribonucleotides, vegetable oils and lactose. These are added in small amounts, according to taste, and any or all of these can be included.”
As lactose is derived from dairy products, the addition of this in artificial chicken flavoring would make it non-vegan.
The ingredients listed in this patent have showed that it is possible to create “artificial chicken flavor” from plant-based sources, though it is difficult to assume it is vegan due the possible animal-based ingredients listed.
Kent Artificially Flavored Chicken Bouillon Stock - Ingredients
In the photos listed on the Amazon product page for Kent Artificially Flavored Chicken Bouillon Stock, it can be seen that the “artificial chicken flavour” listed in the ingredients contains the following ingredients:
- Maltodextrin
- Natural Identical Flavouring Substances
- Disodium Inosinate
- Potassium Phosphates
Are Samyang Spicy Chicken Noodles Vegan?
Made popular by the “Spicy Noodle Challenge” on YouTube in 2017, Samyang’s spicy noodles are often debated by the vegan community as to whether or not they are actually vegan. While the product contains no animal products explicitly, it does contain artificial chicken flavor and lecithin (sometimes derived from egg yolks).
YouTuber oh, stephyy contacted Samyang Food to verify if their ingredients are of animal origin. In their response, they stated, “Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen does not contain meat ingredient, or animal ingredient. Also, artificial chicken flavor included in it is not real chicken ingredient.” This response would confirm that the Samyang Spicy Noodles are vegan. However, it should be noted that oh, stephyy didn’t provide a image of the email exchange or provide the emails used so it could not be verified if the reply was from a Samyang representative.
Summary
This analysis shows that “artificial chicken flavor” can come from both plant and animal based sources. Therefore, artificial chicken flavor cannot be assumed to be vegan all of the time.
As others have pointed out, if the product only contains the words “artificial flavor” on the packaging with no mention of “natural flavor” or animal ingredients (ex. lactose or eggs) then it is likely produced with no animal sources and is vegan friendly.
In the end, the only way to ensure a product containing “artificial chicken flavor” is vegan is to contact the company directly.
