The Important of Flavorings

The Important of Flavorings
Flavorings are compounds, many of which are natural, although there are also many synthetic ones that are added to foods to produce flavors or to modify existing flavors. In the early days of human existence, salt, sugar, vinegar, herbs, spices, smoke, honey, and berries were added to foods to improve their taste or to produce a special, desirable taste. The range of natural and synthetic flavoring available to the modern food technologists is very large. Essential oils form a major source of flavorings. Essential oils are odorous components of plants and plant materials that are the characteristic odors of the materials from, which they are extracted. Because of the large production of orange juice, quantities of essential oil of orange are produced as by-products. For this reason, there is little need for the production of synthetic orange flavoring.

Fruit extracts have been used as flavorings, but these are relatively weak when compared to essential oils and oleoresins. An oleoresin is a solvent extract of spices from which the solvent, usually a hydrocarbon, has been removed by distillation. Because of their weak effects, fruit extracts may be intensified by combining them with other flavorings. Synthetic flavorings are usually less expensive and more plentiful than natural flavorings. On the other hands, natural flavorings are often more acceptable. However, they are quite complex and difficult to reproduce synthetically. In fact, one of the problems with natural flavorings is that they may vary according to season and other uncontrollable variables.

Synthetic flavorings, however, can be reproduced quite accurately. Many artificial flavors, such as amyl acetate (artificial banana flavor), benzaldehyde (artificial cherry flavor), and ethyl caproate (artificial pineapple flavor), are added to confectionaries, baked products, soft drinks, and ice creams. These flavorings are added in concentrations of 0.03% or less. The Important of Flavorings