History of Synthetic Flavoring

Synthetic flavorings almost any desired type are now available. These frequently posses the delicate flavor and aroma of the natural products and also the desirable characteristic of stability, reproducibility and comparatively low cost.

Although the food industry is rooted deep in history, the flavor industry has developed only over the past 170 years.

Throughout history, men have sought to make their food more appetizing, first by using spices and herbs and then by the spirits of fruits and aromatic plants or essential oils.

Supply of these commodities was obviously limited in terms of both availability and quality, especially as the size of markets increased in the nineteenth century with the growth of modern consumerism.

It was not until the latter half of the 19th century that chemists has began to realize the flavoring possibilities of synthetic aromatic chemicals.

As a result of advances in chemical analysis and synthetic organic chemistry, came an increasing number of nature identical and synthetic flavor chemicals, which allowed improved fidelity to the original materials and greater flavor intensity, stability and reproducibility.

The first synthetic “aroma oils” were introduced between 1845 and 1850. These consisted of lower molecular mass fatty acid esters of several alcoholic and were synthesized by the chemical industry for their fruity odor.

In 1858, vanillin was first crystallized from an alcoholic extract of vanilla beans by Gobley.

In 1860, the first book of artificial flavoring formulations was published anonymously in Philadelphia.

In the middle to late 1800s, the potential of synthetic aromatics to increase the effectiveness of natural flavors was beginning to be realized.

In 1851 at the World’s Fair in London, solution of esters were exhibited and recommended as artificial fruit essences.

The term synthetic, artificial and chemical flavoring have aroused the doubts and suspicious of consumers in some instances. However, many such chemical components also occur in nature.

It has been noted by the FDA that an artificial flavoring is no less safe, nutritious or desirable than a natural flavor and the the purpose for distinguishing between a natural and artificial flavor is for economic rescan, i.e. the natural flavoring is often more expensive than the artificial flavor.
History of Synthetic Flavoring