In the world of food and beverages, we often encounter the term flavors. However, how much do we truly understand what flavors are and their impact on the food ingredients we consume?

Flavors, as the name suggests, are chemically made substances intended to add specific tastes to food products. These flavors are commonly used in the food industry to provide consistent taste, enhance product durability, or replace expensive or hard-to-obtain natural flavors.

Not all flavors are necessarily bad or harmful. Many of them have undergone rigorous testing and are considered safe for consumption within established limits. However, there are also controversial these flavors that may raise concerns about their long-term health effects. According to regulations in many countries, particularly in Indonesia, flavors can be classified into three types.

Natural Flavors

These flavors are obtained from plant or animal materials through physical processes such as extraction, microbiological processes, or enzymatic processes. Examples include essential oils, oleoresins, essences, or extracts, protein hydrolysates, distillation products, and all products resulting from roasting, heating, and enzymolysis. Flavorists use natural chemicals to produce these natural flavors.

Nature-Identical Flavors

These flavors are obtained from plant and animal materials through chemical processes where artificial chemicals are used to create flavors identical to natural ones. Sometimes, artificial chemicals other than those derived from nature are also used in this process.

Flavors

These flavors are created by mixing various artificial chemicals to produce flavors resembling natural ones. Although their chemical composition differs, efforts are made to ensure their sensory characteristics are similar to natural ones. Animated and photographic flavors fall under the category of flavors.

Education about flavors is also crucial for food manufacturers. They need to understand the consequences of using flavors on their brand image and consider natural alternatives that may be preferred by consumers.

Recognizing this flavors in food ingredients is the first step to ensuring that we can make wise and healthy choices regarding the food we consume every day.