How is peach flavoring so easily captured in gummies, water, etc, when so many other flavors taste obviously fake?
In: Chemistry
Time for me to shine! Like what a few others have said, different foods have different chemical “markers” which help define what the food is supposed to taste and smell like. Some examples would be iso amyl acetate(banana) and peach lactone(peach). These chemicals alone would only give a very artificial flavour and have to be mixed with many other chemicals which may provide the necessary balance such as slightly grassy(some hexenols) or fruity(ethyl butyrate) which make the flavour overall more balanced and start to move towards a more “natural” flavour. This would be done by a flavorist who has years of experience to know the perfect Balance is to achieve the desired flavor.
To answer your question, although it is true that some flavours may be harder to reproduce, current flavours actually mimic the “natural” flavours really well! However, flavours are always limited by the cost, as to create a better more natural flavour, the greater mixture of chemicals may increase cost of production. This would require a perfect balance between the companies’ requirement for the best flavour along with minimal cost. Furthermore, some flavours may actually be directed to be more “artificial” depending on the target audience. One example would be watermelon flavoured chewing gum which is normally directed to be more artificial to match children’s taste buds. Peach is actually a simple combination of chemicals to achieve a “natural” flavour and has already been a “set”standard flavour.
Currently you can definitely find almost all flavours ranging from different meats to all sorts of fruits well replicated!
Source: am studying flavour chemistry
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