Among major Korean spicy instant noodles, the product with the highest capsaicin content was found to be ‘Tteumsae Ramen Red Rice Cake Soup’.
The Korea Consumer Agency released the results of a test and evaluation on the nutritional components and safety of 12 products, including 7 soup-type ramen and 5 stir-fried ramen popular among consumers, on the 10th.
The soup-type ramen included in the survey were Shin Ramyun, Shin Ramyun The Red, Samyang 1963, Samyang Ramen Spicy, Yeol Ramen, Jin Ramen Spicy, and Tteumsae Ramen Red Rice Cake Soup.
The stir-fried ramen included Shin Ramyun Stir-fried, Shin Ramyun Tomba, Carbonara Buldak Bokkeumyeon, Buldak Bokkeumyeon, and Sesame Ramen Stir-fried.
Regarding the spicy component capsaicin, Tteumsae Ramen Red Rice Cake Soup had the highest content among soup-type ramen at 650 mg per kilogram.
Among stir-fried ramen, Buldak Bokkeumyeon recorded the highest level at 285 mg per kilogram.
Applying the Korean Industrial Standards (KS) spicy level for oil-fried noodles, the 12 surveyed products fell between level 2 (‘moderately spicy’) and level 4 (‘very spicy’).
Four products, including Tteumsae Ramen Red Rice Cake Soup, Shin Ramyun The Red, Samyang Ramen Spicy, and Buldak Bokkeumyeon, were classified into the highest level 4 category.
Sodium content also showed significant differences among products.
Based on a single package, the sodium content for soup-type ramen ranged from 1,611 to 2,080 mg, while stir-fried ramen ranged from 1,009 to 1,349 mg.
Compared to the daily nutritional reference value of 2,000 mg, soup-type ramen accounted for 81% to 104%, and stir-fried ramen accounted for 50% to 67% of the standard.
The product with the highest sodium content was Shin Ramyun The Red.
When consuming even the broth completely, the sodium intake reached 2,080 mg, which amounts to 104% of the daily reference value.
Safety tests for heavy metals, harmful substances, and microorganisms showed that all products met the relevant standards.
Prices ranged from 684 to 1,300 KRW per package for soup-type ramen, and 995 to 1,420 KRW for stir-fried ramen.
Among soup-type ramen, Samyang Ramen Spicy was the cheapest at 684 KRW, while Tteumsae Ramen Red Rice Cake Soup was the most expensive at 1,300 KRW.
For stir-fried ramen, Shin Ramyun Stir-fried was the cheapest at 995 KRW, and Sesame Ramen Stir-fried was the most expensive at 1,420 KRW.
