The Problems of Using Natural Flavors

The Problems of Using Natural Flavors
The flavorist has available to him a wide spectrum of natural flavoring materials which by blending can produce an almost unlimited range of effect; so much so, that one may wonder why it is necessary to use synthetic version at all. The reasons are clear:

• Many natural flavors have a low intensity and in consequence have to be used at a high dosage rate in order to produce the desired effect in the end-product. This often results in an unsatisfactory texture and poor stability.

• Concentration of natural flavors is, in most casers, possible by extraction or evaporation but such processes are usually accompanied by significant changes ion the flavor profile.

• Natural flavors exhibit variations in strength and quality the difference being accentuated by the source of the material, its ripeness at harvest and its subsequent handling.

• The supply of natural materials is becoming progressively more uncertain and the quantity available now falls far short of demand. This situation is likely to be accentuated as native populations turn more economically attractive products.

• Most natural flavors are unstable and undergo changes during post harvest handling, processing or storage.

• Many natural products contain enzyme systems which may result in the formation of off-notes or taints and a fall-off of flavoring power.

• The toxicity of many natural products has yet to be established with the same degree of detail as that applied to synthetic chemicals used in flavoring; when they are, the results are likely to be surprising.

Entirely natural flavors, therefore, pose many problems to the food manufacturer and, in order to overcome these difficulties, it is a becoming increasingly necessary to use desirable natural flavoring effects but recreated from synthetic components of known aromatic character, purity and safety.
The problems of Using Natural Flavors