what are “natural flavors” on ingredients labels and how do we extract them?
In: Chemistry
The FDA rule is: *”The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”*
Flavours from fruits and other naturally occurring substances rather than a batch of chemicals cooked up in a vat.
It’s just an umbrella term to protect their recipe. It could be anything from mint flavor to vanilla to natural alternatives to familiar flavors like fake vanilla made from wood extract.
They’re extracted by taking natural substances and using solvents, often times alcohol, to extract and hold on to the flavor.
Vanilla extract, for example, you can make at home by soaking vanilla beans in vodka or everclear for a few weeks/months.
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