Flavour and food flavourings are related terms, although they vary in definition.
Flavour is created by nature and is composed by aromatic chemicals that are biosynthesised during the normal metabolic processes in plants and animals and which may be further modified by subsequent processing. The intrinsic flavour of food represents the complex impact by these aromatic components on the senses of odour and taste.
Flavourings, on the other hand, are man-made. They are prepared from natural and/or synthetic aromatic substances that may or may not be found in nature. The aim is to increase the acceptability of the end-product through the stimulation of the nose and the palate, by modifying a flavour that is already present or masking some undesirable flavour. (Heath,1981)
In all products, the raw materials used contribute with their own particular chemistry. In the case of food products this determines not only to the flavour but also to other attributes such as colour and texture. Therefore, in preparing food flavourings, it is necessary to pay attention to the compatibility between the intrinsic flavour of all the raw materials used. It also necessary to have a knowledge of the chemistry and characteristics, both physical and sensory of their aromatic constituents of both natural and synthetic origin, as they will influence the ultimate flavour of the end-product. It is also very important to have knowledge about toxicity of these products, and to establish regulations to safety and quality control in the best interests of the consumer.
Flavouring material may be added to a product either to enhance a desirable flavour or to mask an undesirable one, to make the final product pleasant.
Kazeniac (1977), showed that the success of a flavour depends on its recognition by the consumer as being similar to a familiar flavour. He said that exotic, abstract or fancy flavours are not, usually, well accepted by the consumer.
When flavours are being developed it is necessary to take into account the compatibility between the new flavour and the inherent flavour of the product, to which the new flavour will be applied. "A flavour which would be quite acceptable in cheese would completely damn an egg."
Although, in the traditional medicine and culinary art, herbs and spices have been used since millenniums, the flavour industry has developed only over the past 150-200 years from small companies specializing in the processing and marketing of natural herbs and spices, the distillation of essential oils and aromatic essences and the extraction and isolation of aromatic chemicals from these products to produce pharmaceuticals and fragrances. Nowadays, several companies, mainly multinational flavour and fragrance companies, offer a whole range of flavourings to the food, beverage, confectionery and related industries as well as fragrance compounds for toiletries and the cosmetic industry.
Due to increasing publicity campaigns, consumers are becoming more discriminating. Flavours that were quite acceptable are now considered to be "artificial" or "synthetic". There is an increasing demand for "better" flavours, for which the concept is difficult to define especially in terms of quality and safety.
Progress towards new and improved flavours is only possible by a joint effort of a multidisciplinary team with expertise in flavour extraction, analysis and creation, application research, synthetic chemistry, sensory and safety evaluations and flavour market research.
The selection and the preservation of the raw material used to extract and after to isolate components of a flavour to flavouring are very important, as it may have the correct odour and flavour characteristics and must not have atypical off-notes due to deterioration.
Forss (1969) and Chang (1973) refer the steps and the techniques that must be used to obtain a correct flavour research. These involve:
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