The Truth About Food Chemicals Or Why We Eat Vanilla From Cows

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

All food and everything else around us is made up of chemicals, whether they occur in nature or are made in a laboratory. The idea that there is a difference between the natural chemicals found in fruits and vegetables and their synthetic version is just a bad way of perceiving the world.

There are many chemicals in the natural flavors and colors of our food. Some of them have long, scary-sounding names, others are so often used that we no longer pay attention to them. The bottom line is that everything that smells or tastes is thanks to chemicals.

The characteristic smell of cloves, for example, comes from a chemical called eugenol. Cinnamon aldehyde contained in cinnamon is also responsible for its specific aroma and taste. So both artificial and natural fragrances contain chemicals. The difference between natural and artificial flavors is the source of these chemicals.

Natural flavors are created from everything that can be eaten - animals and vegetables, etc. They are processed in the laboratory to create the specific scent. On the other hand, artificial fragrances are produced from inedible substances such as oil.

Sometimes the same chemical fragrance can be made from both natural and artificial sources. The resulting molecule is identical for both sources, only the method of preparation is different.

Here, however, naturally comes the question of why then in the industry are used mainly artificial flavors. Synthetic chemicals in artificial fragrances usually cost less. They are also potentially safer as they are rigorously tested before use. Their production can be more environmentally friendly because the resources needed to create natural flavors can be used for food in the first place.

For example, vanillin, the compound responsible for the taste and aroma of vanilla, can be extracted from a special orchid growing in Mexico. The process of extracting it is extremely long and expensive. However, scientists have found a way to make a synthetic version of it in the laboratory.

In 2006, Japanese researcher Mayu Yamata was able to extract vanillin from cow dung. He even received the Nobel Prize for his discovery. Since then, nearly 90% of the world's vanilla has been extracted using its technology.

Increasingly, researchers believe that largely human health problems do not come from the consumption of synthetic chemicals in food, but rather from large amounts of salt, sugar, sedentary life, stress and a deteriorating environment.