Nature-identical flavours

A. Artho and K. Grob, Determination of y-lactones added to foods as flavours. How far-must nature-identical flavours be identical with the nature , Mitt. Gebiete Lebensm. Hyg. 81 544-558 (1990). 

These are materials that are synthetic but are the same compound as is present in a natural flavouring material. From time to time it emerges that one substance produces a given flavour. Most chemists know that benzaldehyde has a smell of almonds. Some chemists know that hydrogen cyanide smells of bitter almonds. If a natural flavouring can be represented by a single substance and that substance can be synthesised then the flavour is likely to be available as a nature identical flavour. Vanilla flavour is a good example. Vanilla flavour can be all natural and derived from vanilla pods or nature identical or artificial. The nature identical product would be based on vanillin, which is in vanilla pods and has a flavour of vanilla. An artificial vanilla flavour would be ethyl vanillin, which is not present in vanilla pods but has a flavour two and a... 

The reasons to use raw materials from renewable resources can be various. When a natural flavour ingredient has to be prepared, a natural raw material is essential, and natural raw materials are renewable, because they come from plants, animals or fermentation. For nature-identical flavour ingredients, a renewable raw material can be a good choice from a chemical point of view and quite often also from a cost point of view if turpentine is readily available in a country with limited or no petrochemical resources, -pinene from the renewable source is cheaper than chemically synthesised -pinene. A manufacturer chooses only for sustainable production if it is remunerative and at least as attractive as other options. 

Of course, during processing of fruit juices hydrolysis effects may occur, leading to decreased amounts of ethyl 2-methylbutanoate. However, its enantiomeric purity remains unchanged, whilst the corresponding 2-methylbutanoic acid is found as the (S)-enantiomer (99.5% or more) [33-37]. Consequently, the detection of racemic 2-methybutanoic acid (or the corresponding esters) definitely proves the addition of a synthetic (so called nature-identical) flavour compound. 

Natural raw materials are of high importance in flavour development. Natural isolates (Table 21.2) serve as a basis for most natural flavourings which can be blended with single natural aroma chemicals. The performance of nature-identical flavourings will be supported by using extracts and oils as they significantly enhance the complexity of flavourings and increase their authenticity. 

Nature-identical flavouring substances. These are substances chemically isolated from aromatic raw materials or obtained synthetically. They are chemically identical to substances present in natural products intended for human consumption, whether processed or not. 

Flavourings. Flavourings are widely used in dilutable soft drinks to boost or substitute those occurring naturally. There are other publications that deal with this topic in more detail, but, in brief, it is necessary to ensure that appropriate beverage flavours are selected to produce adequate solubility. Most manufacturers of dilutables will use either natural or nature-identical flavours. 

Nature-identical claims are not much appreciated in English speaking countries, but in German speaking countries the claim is more popular. Initially, it is difficult to see why a synthetic substance that happens to be present in Nature should be preferred over a synthetic substance that is not found as a naturally-occurring substance. Presumably the advantage of a nature-identical substance is assumed because it is assumed to be inherently safe. This is a paradox since synthetic substances are normally tested for safety much more exhaustively than natural ones. However, nature-identical flavours do have the advantage over natural products in that the price or quality are not affected by adverse harvests. 

Ca. 1950-1970 Introduction of chromtography and spectral photometry for analytical characterization of flavouring substances Evidence of hundreds of individual components in a single flavour Development of flavourings with up to 30 individual components (predominantly nature-identical flavouring substances)... 

Complex flavours made by biotechnical manufacturing processes are borderline products between natural and nature-identical flavours. The declaration of complex biotechnical flavours is Flavour Preparations . For the manufacturing of those biotechnical steps (enzymatic and microbiological processes) are explicitly approved. There is still some uncertainty, however, with the declaration regarding the origin of the starting materials for the biotechnical reaction and the difficult analytical discemabil-ity between physically extracted and biotechnically produced flavours from plant and animal raw materials. 

As a rule, distilled flavourings, natural and nature-identical flavourings are strictly speaking insensitive to microbiological action. They frequently contain alcohols and an increased proportion of oil, or they are synthesised from chemicals which act as antimicrobial compounds. In these flavourings, the endogenous factors do not allow microbial growth. It should, however, be mentioned that the dormant form of spore-... 

Nature-Identical Flavouring Substance Flavouring substance obtained by synthesis or isolated through chemical processes from a natural aromatic raw material and chemically identical to a substance present in natural products intended for human consumption, either processed or not. Salts of nature-identical flavouring substances with the... 

Nature-identical flavourings Aromatic substances, obtained by organic synthesis, or by adequate chemical processes, and the chemical structure of which is identical with the isolated active principle of natural flavourings, or food products suitable for human consumption. 

Artificial flavourings Aromatic substances, chemically defined which are not found in natural products, and which are obtained by organic synthesis, and compounded or not with natural flavourings or nature-identical flavourings. 

Definitions for natural and nature-identical flavouring substances are given. All flavouring substances shall be permitted with the exception of the prohibited substances (Table 1 to the 8th Schedule, see below) and those imported without written approval of the Director. 

Natural flavourings, natural and nature-identical flavouring substances and flavour enhancers as defined in the lOFI Code of Practice for the Flavour Industry. 

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