Around 2000 different flavor-creating chemicals are commonly used in the flavor industry, with 3000 even more in experimental or occasional use, representing the most important category of raw material flavors in terms of impact on the finished product.
Artificial and natural flavors, used for experimental flavor creation, are mixtures of chemical compounds recognized as safe for use in food and solvents, e.g. water, ethanol, propylene glycol, triethyl citrate, benzyl alcohol and triacetin, etc., or powdered flavor-passing carriers such as salt, maltodextrin, dextrose, necessary to produce the flavor in the desired form and concentration. In each country, the list of chemicals varies according to its regulations.
Aromatic Chemicals in Flavor Creation
The flavor industry initially put a great deal of effort into trying to duplicate nature through the use of natural and synthetic chemicals. Natural chemicals derived from natural sources had serious limitations, especially when the flavor was obtained from fruits, vegetables, Maillard reactions or enzymatic processes, due to low flavor levels.
Another disadvantage of using composites is seasonal availability and high material costs. In addition, very often, flavors isolated from nature do not work well, due to unstable components indigenous to the aroma as in the case of the essential oil of bitter almond oil, which contains a quantity of cyanide, a chemical very dangerous for human consumption.
Flavor composition, once the chemicals involved in flavor production in food and flavor classification were known, could be precisely controlled, as could their aromatic profiles and physical form designed to meet specific consumption requirements or manufacturing parameters and their constant supply, which ensured a reasonable cost.
Flavor Industry
Therefore, it seems that the flavor industry will have great value in the future. This perspective helps working chemists, who are broadly developing sources and product classification, to define ingredients and most foods of the moment. Nowadays, the classification of chemicals tends to be used to know the flavor constitution whether natural or artificial, e.g., head notes in most meat, some fruit flavor components such as ethyl vanillin, guaiacol, mirecene, etc.
Artificial and Natural Flavors
Around 2000 different flavor chemicals are in common use in the industry, and 3000 even more in experimental or occasional use, representing the most important category of raw material flavors in terms of impact on the finished product. Most synthetic chemicals are the result of chemical research; some have not been found in nature.
Chemical research has continued with the synthesis of chemicals related to those discovered in nature. Flavor chemicals can be subdivided into several categories based on their structure: aliphatic hydrocarbons, alicyclic hydrocarbons, terpenes, aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic hydrocarbons. Each category can be further subdivided into functional groups, alcohols, aldehydes, acetals, ketones, acids, esters, sulfur compounds, nitrogen compounds, hydrocarbons, ethers, oxides and lactones etc. They can also be identified by their odor type and end uses.
The chemicals named in this text represent only a fraction of the total chemicals used, i.e., to analyze each class of compounds in detail would require a book in itself. The objective is simply to draw attention to the enormous variety of chemicals as well as their classification that can be derived from chemicals.
Functional Groups
The specific chemical properties of an organic molecule derive mainly from groups of atoms known as functional groups. These groups are attached to the carbon backbone, replacing one or more of the hydrogens that would be present in a hydrocarbon. An -OH (hydroxyl) group is an example of a functional group. When hydrogen and oxygen are covalently bonded, an outer electron of the oxygen is left over, becomes unpaired, and can then be shared by an outer electron that similarly became available on a carbon atom, thereby forming a covalent bond with the carbon.
A compound with a hydroxyl group replacing one or more of the hydrogens of a hydrocarbon is known as an alcohol. As such, methane (CH4), in which a hydrogen atom is replaced by a hydroxyl group, is transformed into methanol or wood alcohol (CH3OH), which is a pleasant-smelling, toxic compound, notable for its ability to cause blindness and death. Similarly, ethane is transformed into ethanol (C2 H5 OH), which is present in all alcoholic beverages. Glycerol (C3 H5 (OH)3) contains, according to its formula, 3 carbon atoms, 5 hydrogen atoms and 3 hydroxyl groups.
Functional Groups in Flavor creation
Certain functional groups are of major interest for flavor creation, knowledge of which makes it easier to recognize particular molecules and predict their properties, such as carboxyl (CO-OH), which gives a molecule the properties of acid. Alcohols, thanks to their polar hydroxyl groups, tend, for example, to be soluble in water, while hydrocarbons such as butane, which have only non-polar functional groups such as methyl groups, are highly insoluble in water.
Aldehyde groups are often associated with pungent odors and flavors. Smaller molecules with aldehyde groups, such as formaldehyde, have unpleasant odors, while larger ones, such as those given by vanilla, apples, cherries and almonds, usually contain characteristic aromas that tend to be pleasant to the human sensory apparatus.
Solvents
Solvents are normally used in liquid flavors. In many cases the ingredients are not able to form a homogeneous mixture without the use of a solvent. It is also difficult to dose accurately, and highly concentrated flavors are then dispersed in the final products. Some of the solvents are not regulated as solvents, but are regulated as flavor ingredients. Care should be taken with the level of use in these cases. Some popular solvents are listed below:
Propylene Glycol
It is an inorganic liquid, usually a colorless oily liquid. It is probably the most widely used solvent in the creation of flavors, especially in flavors focused on confectionery, beverages, dairy, carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverages. In beverages it is recommended in combination with ethyl alcohol.
Ethanol
This material is widely used for the creation of flavors, such as beverages, because it can be easily diluted with water.
Triacetin
It is not very soluble in water, but over time it hydrolyzes to form glycerol and acetic acid. It also has advantages as a solvent because it is quite strong and has a plasticizing effect on chewing gum. This solvent can be used with good results if water solubility is not necessary, when other solvents are too weak to dissolve some of the ingredients.
Glycerol
Glycerol can impart some heat and flavor stability using ethanol as the main solvent. The material is water soluble and especially useful in natural extracts, although it is not normally used alone.
More Information on Flavor Design
The field of flavor creation is multidisciplinary, recent and with a lot of potential. It combines knowledge of nutrition, chemistry, gastronomy and even management and leadership. At TECH Technological University we have for you the Professional Master’s Degree in Flavor Design. This program will allow you to incorporate the theoretical and practical developments you need to reach the elite of gastronomic creators.
Among the programs related to nutrition, we offer the Professional Master’s Degree in Nutritional Genomics and Precision Nutrition, focused on the most recent developments in the individualized study of the human genome. Also the Professional Master’s Degree in Food Safety, one of the most demanded for the future.
