sodium L-glutamate Price Chart & Market Analysis 2026

sodium L-glutamate Price Information

Newest Price 693.2

Price Date 20210323

Day's Change -89.8

Day's Range 693.2 - 603.4

Month's Change 0

Month's Range 0 - 0

Year's Change 0

Year's Range 0 - 0

Opinions

Why do many consumers mistakenly believe monosodium glutamate is a chemical synthetic product?

Consumer education is a real market factor here. The 'chemical' stigma drove many buyers to premium-priced 'natural' umami products like yeast extract, yet most soy sauces on the shelf still list sodium glutamate as an added ingredient. This creates a price arbitrage opportunity: MSG at roughly RMB 10 per 500g delivers the same flavor as soy sauce at 2-3x the cost per serving.

How are major Chinese MSG producers performing financially amid price declines?

The Q1 2026 profit plunge at Meihua signals margin compression that will likely push spot MSG prices lower in the near term. For buyers, this is a window to negotiate better terms. But note the counter-cyclical signal: Meihua's 2025 dividend yield of 5.2% and PB at 1.39 (near 10-year lows) suggest the market already prices in sustained weakness, so further downside may be limited.

What is the current supply-demand balance and competitive landscape in China's MSG market?

Watch the export channel closely. Thailand, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Cambodia are now top destinations precisely because local production is minimal. For buyers, this means domestic oversupply keeps prices competitive, but freight and trade policy shifts in these emerging markets can create sudden price swings. Locking in quarterly contracts with major producers like Fufeng or Meihua remains the safest procurement strategy.

Overview

Sodium L-glutamate (monosodium glutamate, MSG; CAS 16177-21-2) is a white crystalline powder, freely soluble in water, that dissociates into sodium and free glutamate ions. It is the sodium salt of glutamic acid and is widely used as a flavour enhancer to impart umami taste.

Food: the primary flavour enhancer in cooking and processed foods, delivering the umami taste first identified in kombu broth in 1908.
Regulatory: recognised as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) by the US FDA; glutamate from MSG is chemically identical to that naturally present in foods.
Health context: as a sodium salt, it contributes to dietary sodium intake, and overuse in cooking or processed foods is linked to high-sodium health concerns.

China is the world's largest producer of sodium L-glutamate, accounting for the majority of global capacity. Production is dominated by fermentation routes using carbohydrates such as beet, sugarcane, and molasses. The industry is highly concentrated, with a near-duopoly of domestic leaders, and output is largely consumed domestically with a significant export surplus.

Key domestic producers:
Meihua Bio – global top-two capacity in monosodium glutamate.
Fufeng Group – global leader in fermentation-based amino acid production.

Properties

Name

sodium L-glutamate

Einecs 240-313-1

sodium DL-glutamate

CAS Number

16177-21-2

EINECS No.

240-313-1

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sodium L-glutamate Price Information

Opinions

Why do many consumers mistakenly believe monosodium glutamate is a chemical synthetic product?

How are major Chinese MSG producers performing financially amid price declines?

What is the current supply-demand balance and competitive landscape in China's MSG market?

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