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Why use flavours? When we humans consume food, our brains interpret the signals that our five senses send out. As an example, let’s think of an apple; we interact with it in various ways before we eat it. Looking at the fruit bowl, one might select the apple with the deepest red colour and the least bruising. Next our hands feel the skin for blemishes or wax, squeezing gently to determine any hidden bruises. As we lift the apple to our mouths, we might get the sweet apple aroma and then crunch through the turgor expressed by the skin. Finally, we taste the wonderful blend of sugars, acids, and flavour chemicals that we perceive as the final product, an apple. Now what? From a flavouring perspective, most food products on the supermarket shelves are made up of four main components: a base, sweetener, flavour, and flavour enhancers Flavours are made up of aromatic volatiles which fall into 3 main categories: esters, ketones and aldehydes. These are chemical compounds which are safe for consumption and responsible for the various aromas and tastes you have every day From juicy oranges to nutty almonds to the meaty aromas present in a good pie at the footy. Combinations of these aromatic volatiles are used to make the various flavours seen today and are quintessential for making our products taste amazing! When selecting flavours, it is extremely important to know what requirements you are trying to meet. Here is a short list of things to consider: • Powder or Liquid • Natural or synthetic • Carrier types (what the flavour concentrate has been extended onto) • Organic, Halal or Kosher requirements • Nutritional/labelling requirements • Flavour Profile – e.g. Strawberry (jammy / fresh / juicy) Powder or Liquid Flavours come in both powder and liquid formats and most of the time it is pretty obvious which one is required. A flavour to go into a protein or collagen powder blend to be mixed with water by the consumer will require a powder flavour. In general, most liquid based items, such as booze or flavoured water, will use liquid flavours for ease of mixing Natural or synthetic There is much confusion surrounding natural and synthetic flavours. A flavour is made up of any combination of chemical compounds called aromatic volatiles. These chemicals can be synthesised in a lab and must be labelled as synthetic flavours. Synthetic flavours are often stronger in aroma and flavour delivery and more cost effective. However, the average consumer and thus the market are rapidly moving away from synthetic to natural flavours. Natural flavours use chemicals extracted from; real fruits, vegetables, plants, natural sources; and no synthetic changes are made. Logic would suggest that a mango flavour would have chemicals extracted from mangoes; however, this is not always the case. Many fruits share the same aromatic volatiles that make up their own unique aroma and taste. For example, the main aroma compound found in mango is delta-3-carene. This aromatic volatile is also present in citrus fruits and pine needles! Often it is more cost effective to source aromatic compounds from another source. For example, a mango flavour might contain delta-3-carene from a banana source, ethyl 3-methylbutanoate and Z-3-hexenyl butanoate from an apple source. Let’s Call in a FlavourLet's continue learning about the different choices that can be made when selecting a flavour. For flavours to be used at viable dosages, they often need to be extended onto a workable medium called a “carrier”. Flavour Pairing & Components Many flavours share the same aromatic volatile group which allows us to cost effectively create natural flavours. Examples: Toffee Apples (caramel and apple share the chemical Furaneol) Almonds and Chocolate (these share the chemical 2,6-dimethylpyrazine) Lemon and Eucalyptus (share gamma-terpinene) Pineapple and Blue Cheese (share methyl pentyl ketone) Kiwi and Jalapeno (share (E)-2-hexen-1-ol) Sour Cream and Clams (share hexanoic acid)
Organic, Kosher and Halal Customer requirements are an ever-evolving presence in the food industry, and it is important not to misrepresent or mislabel the final product. Three commonly sought-after requirements are: Organic, Kosher and Halal, For the respective groups who seek out/require these labels it is of spiritual/moral importance that they only consume food items with the aforementioned labelling. So as a general guideline, here are some restrictions with Organic, Kosher and Halal labelling within flavours: Water is Organic, Kosher and Halal acceptable Ethyl Alcohol is Organic, Kosher but not Halal acceptable Propylene Glycol is Kosher, Halal but not Organic acceptable These are but a few small examples of what we as a flavour industry have to consider producing the foods you love. 
Happy Tasting
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