Flavouring substances

Flavouring substances are chemical compounds with taste-giving properties (aroma properties) that are added to food to produce flavourings. They give them a special smell and/or taste. Flavouring substances are complex mixtures of substances whose composition can vary depending on the raw materials used.

Natural flavourings: Around 10,000 flavouring substances have been identified in nature to date. Of these, about 2,500 are used in the production of flavourings. Natural flavourings are produced by physical, enzymatic or microbiological processes from plant, animal or microbiological raw materials (e.g. by extraction and distillation). Examples are vanillin from vanilla beans, L-menthol from peppermint plants, essential oils such as citrus oil, anise oil, fennel oil, etc.

Nature-identical flavouring substances are produced chemically (synthetically) and are chemically identical to a natural flavouring substance. Examples: Vanillin and L-menthol.

Artificial flavourings are obtained by chemical synthesis and do not occur naturally in food.

Carriers: Many flavourings are very flavourful. They are difficult to process in concentrated form. Therefore, carriers - e.g. alcohol, starch or lactose - are used for dilution and are mixed with the flavouring substances. According to the flavour manufacturers, up to 0.2 % alcohol can be found in the processed ready-to-eat food

Legal standards: For the legal evaluation of flavouring substances, the EU Member States have adopted Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008, which has been in force since 20 January 2011. Authorised flavourings and source materials were published in an EU positive list. This list was adopted on 1. 10.2012 and is regularly updated(https://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/food_improvement_agents_en)

Flavourings and allergies: Flavourings only account for a small proportion of food allergies. Milk sugar (see lactose intolerance below) plays a special role as a carrier in flavours. Lactose is one of the food ingredients that must be labelled.

Sources of supply:

1. Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on flavourings and certain food ingredients with flavouring properties for use in and on foods and amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 1601/91, Regulations (EC) No 2232/96 and (EC) No 110/2008 and Directive 2000/13/EC
2. German Flavour Industry Association: www.aromenhaus.de
3. http://www.bfr.bund.de/de/aromastoffe_und_aromen-54440.html