Food Marketing & Technology - India May 2019 | Page 30

Ingredient
chemicals derived from plants or
animal sources. In many cases, there
will be one predominant flavour
chemical, as well as dozens, or even
hundreds of other components. It is
this complex mixture that gives natural
extracts a richer and more complex
flavour. In contrast, an artificial
flavour is synthesised from other
chemicals rather than being extracted
from a natural source. Artificial
flavours usually contain only a small
number, often just one, of the same
flavour chemicals found in the natural
extract, but lack the others so they
cannot precisely duplicate the flavour
of the complex mixture. Examples of a
few synthetic flavours used in food are
mentioned below:
Vanilla Flavour: Vanilla is the most
popular flavouring across the world.
The compound vanillin is identical
to the major component found in the
vanilla bean. In other words, vanillin is
a synthetic version of one of vanilla’s
ingredients. It is used in a wide
range of foods and beverages such
as: confectionery; baked goods; soft
drinks like cream soda; etc. Vanillin is
very frequently used as an additive in
ice cream and chocolate. The process
of extracting vanillin directly from
plant is a very complex and expensive
process, therefore the vast majority of
vanillin used in the food industry is
produced synthetically.
Methyl Anthranilate or Grape
Flavour:
Methyl
Anthranilate
naturally occurs in concord grapes,
jasmine, lemon, orange, strawberry,
and ylang-ylang. To develop apple
flavouring, this flavouring is combined
with ethyl acetate and ethyl butyrate.
Apple flavouring is also one of the
most commonly used food flavouring.
It is mainly used to flavour products
such as: soft drinks; confectionery; and
it is also used by farmers to deter pests.
This flavouring also imparts distinctive
purple colour to the products. also be prepared as “Artificial Butter
Flavour” if they are produced by
chemical synthesis.
Diacetyl or Butter Flavour: Consumers
are in love with the rich, smooth
flavour of butter. This also adds body
and depth to cooking sprays, sauces,
baked goods, and popcorn. Diacetyl
is most commonly used as the basis
for artificial butter flavouring. It is a
natural by-product of fermentation
and is added to foods and beverages
to impart a buttery aroma and flavour.
This flavour is obtained from the
production of diacetyl and acetoin as
by-products of sugar fermentation
in the production of cultured dairy
products. Pineapple Flavour: Allyl hexanoate
is the compound used to impart
pineapple flavour. This flavour is most
commonly used in confectionery, soft
drinks and to add a sweet note to citrus
flavours. Also, it is served as the basis
of peach and apricot food flavourings.
The allyl hexanoate is present naturally
in pineapples and it is produced
synthetically using chemicals.
Banana and Pear Flavour: Isoamyl
acetate has a very strong, intense, and
distinctive smell. It is used to create
both banana and pear flavourings
in products such as: confectionery;
baked goods; and chewing gums. This
compound is produced from Isoamyl
alcohol by a fermentation process and
is also used to create other synthetic
flavourings such as: apricot; cherry;
orange; plum; and whiskey.
Are Synthetic Flavours Safe?
Figure 2: Production of Butter flavour through natural and artificial means The safety evaluations for all food
additives and flavour additives are
not as thorough as they should be.
Although these synthetic flavours
make the food taste and look delicious,
the hidden dangers cannot weigh out
the possibilities of it by just tasting
good. Synthetic flavourings are known
to cause many health problems such
as: dizziness; chest pain; headaches;
nausea; allergies; brain damage; and
much more. Some flavour ingredients
are also potential synthetic biology
ingredients. In synthetic biology,
an organism’s DNA is essentially
“written”
from
scratch.
These
ingredients have little safety research.
The best way to avoid these harmful
chemicals is to consume less processed
and packaged foods which contain
these synthetic ingredients, as well as
to replace them with certified organic
fruits, vegetables, and grains. Cook
meals from scratch with fresh organic
ingredients and stay away from the
toxic chemicals.
Source: http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu * Source: Consultant Dietician
Diacetyl and acetoin compounds are
by-products of sugar fermentation and
can be produced as “Natural Butter
Flavour” by culturing dairy products
like cultured butter, buttermilk, and
sour cream. These compounds can
Food Marketing & Technology
30
May 2019