Flavor enhancers and potentiators

FLAVOR ENHANCERS AND POTENTIATORS. A, /tamr enhancer is a substance which when present in a food accentuates the taste of the food without contributing any flavor of its own. This is reminiscent ol the role of a catalyst in a chemical reaction which promotes a reaction without chemically participating in the reaction. Although not usually regarded as a flavor enhancer, common sail, if not used excessively, enhances the taste ol food substances. Sail does not fully meet the definition of an enhancer, however, because the sail is detectable as such. 

Ammonium glycyrrhizinate (AG). CajHtjNO, is a flavor enhancer derived from licorice rool. Mallol. C HaOj. and ethyl maltol. CiHuOi, are used us flavor enhancers in products such as cake mixes, confections, cookies, ice cream, frail juices, puddings, and beverages. See also Flavor Enhancers and Potentiators. 

The flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) is currently used in virtually every type of savory prepared-food. Unfortunately, MSG has several deleterious side effects on a large proportion of the population. Fortunately, a naturally occurring peptide isolated from a muscle food (beef) can serve not only as a potential replacement for MSG but also as a nutritional adjuvant. The peptide, called BMP or beefy meaty peptide, acts as a flavor enhancer and is found to occur naturally in beef Chapter 6). Research on BMP suggest that it is not only non-allergenic but, by virtue of its protein composition, is a nutritionally sound replacement for MSG. 

A flavor contributory item is an additive that when smelled and/or tasted helps to create, enhance, or potentiate the named flavor. It is not characteristic of the flavor, but essential in that it acts with other substances to produce a definite character. 

Monosodium glutamate lor many years has been the best known and most widely used of the flavor enhancers. MSG is normally effective in terms ol a relatively few pans per thousand, but far less powerful than the newer flavor potentiators. Like enhancers, potentiators do not add any taste of their own to food substances, but intensify the taste response to the flavorings already present in the food. Because a potentiator is more powerful, smaller quantities of the substances are required than in the Case of the enhancers. Generally, the available potentiators are from about 15 to nearly 100 times more effective than tile enhancer. 

Low-molecular-weight peptides play an important role in the flavor intensity of meat and beef broth (27b). A beefy meat peptide isolated of beef imparts desirable sensory properties and has potential as a flavor enhancer in heat-processed foods (27c,d). Peptides released in dry-cured ham during processing were evaluated by HPLC and related to the ham flavor formation (27e,f). 

Glycyrrhizin is 50-100 times sweeter than sucrose and has a slow onset of taste and a long aftertaste (Table 1). It exhibits a dark, sweet, woody flavor, which limits its use as a pure sweetener. Glycyrrhizin provides licorice flavor, enhances food flavors, masks bitter flavors, and increases the perceived sweetness level of sucrose. It also has the potential for providing functional characteristics, including foaming, viscosity control, gel formation, and possibly antioxidant characteristics (3,19,58). 

Ahmed, E. M. Flavor enhancing potential of selected orange oil and essence components and their relationship to product quality. U. S. Dept, of Agric., Agric. Res. Serv., Contract No. 12-14-100-10337 (72), 1975. 

The manufacturers of tobacco products add fillers, flavor enhancers, preservatives, and other additives to make the product more desirable to consumers, especially low-tar brands. Each company s list of additives was a closely guarded trade secret until 1984, when the lists were submitted to the government. The public was barred from seeing the lists until 1994. The initial list contained 700 potential additives, of which 13 are not allowed in food. One additive, ammonia, may be included to boost the absorption of nicotine and enhance the addictive kick. Sweeteners and chocolate may help make cigarettes more attractive to children and first-time users. 

The salty taste is best exhibited by sodium chloride. It is sometimes claimed that the taste of salt by itself is unpleasant and that the main purpose of salt as a food component is to act as a flavor enhancer or flavor potentiator. The taste of salts depends on the nature of both cation and anion. As the molecular weight of either cation or anion— or both—increases, salts are likely to taste bitter. The lead and beryllium salts of acetic acid have a sweet taste. The taste of a number of salts is presented in Table 7-4. 

Effervescents comprise a soluble organic acid and an alkali metal carbonate salt. Citric acid is most commonly used for its flavor-enhancing properties. Malic acid imparts a smoother after taste and fumaric, ascorbic, adipic, and tartaric acids are less commonly used [14], Sodium bicarbonate is the most common alkali, but potassium bicarbonate can be used if sodium levels are a potential issue with the formulation. Both sodium and potassium carbonate can also be employed. Other excipients include water-soluble binders such as dextrose or lactose, and binder levels are kept to a minimum to avoid retardation of disintegration. All ingredients must be anhydrous to prevent the components within the formulation reacting with each other during storage. 

Another Important attribute of whole cell/enzyme systems is for the production of optlcally-actlve compounds. As early as the 1950s, the synthesis of optically active gamma- and delta-lactones by microbiological reduction was demonstrated (18). Production of optlcally-pure L-glutamate for use in the flavor enhancer MSG by microbial means is another testimonial to this potential of biotechnology. 

It is also certain that a fair proportion of the population is indifferent to taste and lacks the acuity necessary for distinguishing small differences in taste and aroma between samples.Furthermore, clear flavor performance differences can be obtained during pharmaceutical product development, by techniques designed to promote taste acceptance. The use of flavors, flavor modifiers, and other methods for flavor enhancement, such as physical and chemical manipulations of drugs, may be potential methods for the development of products with superior market preference characteristics. 

Maltol is used in pharmaceutical formulations and food products as a flavoring agent or flavor enhancer. In foods, it is used at concentrations up to 30 ppm, particularly with fruit flavorings, although it is also used to impart a freshly baked odor and flavor to bread and cakes. When used at concentrations of 5-75 ppm, maltol potentiates the sweetness of a food product, permitting a reduction in sugar content of up to 15% while maintaining the same level of sweetness. Maltol is also used at low levels in perfumery. 

A good example of potentially useful enhanced oxidation is in the aging of fermented products such as spirits where limited oxidation is potentially useful for flavor development and early maturation of the product. Sonication has been successfully employed to enhance the flavor of some wines and spirits. The effect of irradiation with 1 MHz ultrasound has been shown to alter the alcohol/ester balance in such products to give the appearance of an aged product [8], This seems to be particularly successful for whisky where a patented method has been described which reduces the normally prolonged aging time to less than 1 year by applying ultrasound to the liquor in a standard barrel [9],... 

As noted earlier in this chapter, there has been substantial research focused on finding new flavor potentiators to either replace MSG or provide more general flavor enhancement (not just savory foods). A few such compounds have been found and will be discussed below. 

In the dairy industry, lipases are used in the hydrolysis of milk fat. Applications include flavor enhancement of cheeses, acceleration of cheese ripening, manufacture of cheeselike products, and lipolysis of butterfat and cream. Sources of lipases for cheese enhancement are the pancreatic glands or pregastric tissues of lamb, calf, or kid. Each pregastric lipase leads to its own characteristic flavor pattern, and these enzymes are essential in the production of quality cheeses such as Romano and provolone [15]. Pregastric lipases have also been used for the treatment of calf diarrhea or scours [15] and have potential for the treatment of malabsorption syndrome in children. 

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