What are the different types of food flavorings?

What are the different types of food flavorings?

FROM OUR FLAVORS TO YOURS FINISHED PRODUCTS

Lucie LevequeRegulatory Affairs Manager

 

At PROVA we work to give & reinforce a taste, give and reinforce a smell, mask an aftertaste or standardize a taste with synthetic or natural flavors. We are concerned with natural food and have launched several ranges of natural flavors to best meet the needs of our customers.  

What are the different types of food flavors?

“By flavors we mean products not intended to be consumed as is, which are added to foodstuffs to give them an odor and/or a taste or to modify them.” 

The different types of food flavors are defined in the European regulation n°1334/2008. 

All flavors are composed of two fractions:    

  • An aromatic fraction containing all the aromatic ingredients, which provide the taste to the flavor 
  • Another fraction containing the ingredients used as carriers, solvents, additives that do not bring taste to the flavor but allow its dilution and use in the products of our customers 

It is on the content of the aromatic fraction that the category of the food flavor is determined. PROVA’s regulations define the rules for a flavor to be qualified as “natural”, in this case depending on the composition of their aromatic fraction, the flavors can be “natural flavors”, “natural flavors of X with other natural flavors” or “natural flavors of X. Regardless of its composition, a flavor can be designated as “flavor”.

What is the difference between natural flavor and synthetic flavor?

“A flavor is qualified as “natural” when its aromatic fraction is composed solely of aromatic preparation(s) and/or natural aromatic substance(s).” 

As soon as the aromatic fraction of a food flavor contains a synthetic molecule, the final flavor is synthetic. 

As you may have understood, a natural flavor comes from a product derived from nature, which is then transformed in order to concentrate it. To do this, various methods can be used to extract the aromatic compounds. Regardless of the composition of the aromatic fraction, all flavors can be called “flavor” or “flavor Y*.” 

Among the so-called “natural” flavors, the regulations define several categories:

  • “Natural X* flavors”: in order to use this designation, the aromatic fraction must come from the source at more than 95%, and the taste of this source must be easily recognizable.  
  • “Natural X* flavors with other natural flavors”: this designation is possible when the aromatic fraction contains less than 95% of the source, but the taste is easily recognizable.
  • “Natural flavors”: when there is no specifically recognizable source.

For natural X* flavors whose aromatic fraction is 100% derived from the source, it is customary to use the term “X* extract” as defined in ISO 9235:2013. *X is the source giving the taste to the flavor, for example, vanilla. *Y is the flavor of the aroma, for example, “hazelnut”. 


The packaging must provide the consumer with an accurate overview of the product’s composition, as well as its organoleptic properties. 

PROVA HAS DESIGNED A REGULATORY DOCUMENT SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING ITS CUSTOMERS WITH A DAILY WORKING TOOL CONTAINING A COMPILATION OF THE VARIOUS REGULATORY TEXTS, PRACTICES, OR RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PROFESSION. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD IT BE CONSIDERED A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE OFFICIAL TEXTS, TO WHICH PROFESSIONALS ARE COMMITTED TO REFER AT ANY TIME.


*X is the source giving the taste to the aroma, we can take the example of vanilla.
*Y is the flavor of the aroma, for example “hazelnut”.