Natural Flavors: Should You Eat Them?

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Video: Natural Flavors: Should You Eat Them?

Video: Natural Flavors: Should You Eat Them?
Video: What Are Natural Flavors And Why Are They In Everything At The Grocery Store?! 2024, November
Natural Flavors: Should You Eat Them?
Natural Flavors: Should You Eat Them?
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The term natural fragrances is often on the list of ingredients in products that are marketed. These are flavorings that food manufacturers add to it to improve the taste.

Natural flavors are derived from substances derived from plant or animal sources:

- Spices;

- Fruit or fruit juices;

- Vegetables or vegetable juices;

- Yeast, herbs, bark, plant buds, leaves of roots or plant material;

- Dairy products, including fermented products;

- Meat, poultry or seafood;

- Eggs.

Natural aromas are intended to improve the taste and not necessarily to contribute to the nutritional value of the food or drink. They are extremely common in food and beverages.

Most interestingly, the only products listed more often in the lists of ingredients in processed foods are salt, water and sugar.

What exactly do natural fragrances mean?

Ice cream natural flavors
Ice cream natural flavors

Research shows that when "natural" flavors appear on food packaging, people tend to give positive opinions about the product, including how healthy it is. However, it can be used to describe almost any type of food.

Where the product in question contains a natural flavor, the original source must be a plant or animal. In contrast, the original source of artificial fragrances is a chemically synthetic product.

It is important that all flavors contain chemicals, whether natural or artificial. In fact, every substance in the world is made up of chemicals, including water.

Natural flavors are complex mixtures created by specially trained chemists known as flavorings.

In addition to their original source of flavor, these mixtures may contain more than 100 different chemicals, including preservatives, solvents and other substances. They are defined as "random additives".

However, food manufacturers are not required to disclose whether these additives come from natural or synthetic sources. If the original flavor source comes from plant or animal material, it is classified as natural aroma.

Moreover, since the term "natural" has no official definition, flavors derived from genetically modified crops can also be labeled as natural.

Ingredients classified as natural fragrances

Lemongrass is a natural flavoring
Lemongrass is a natural flavoring

- Amyl acetate: is obtained by distillation of bananas, thus enhancing the aroma of bananas in baked goods;

- Citral: extracted from lemongrass, lemon or orange. It is most often used in citrus drinks and pastries;

- Benzaldehyde: extracted from almonds, cinnamon oil and other ingredients;

- Beaver mass: this surprising and disturbing source is found in the anal secretions of beavers. It is sometimes used as a substitute for vanilla, but this rarely happens because it is very expensive.

Natural or artificial fragrances?

It may seem healthier to choose foods with natural flavors, but the artificial ones are not so bad. In terms of their chemical composition, both species are quite similar.

Sometimes even artificial fragrances contain fewer chemicals than natural ones. Some scientists claim that artificial ones are even safer because they are produced under strictly controlled laboratory conditions.

Are natural scents safe?

Natural aromas
Natural aromas

According to experts, in most cases, natural flavors are safe for human consumption, in combination with processed foods. However, if we take into account the amount of chemicals involved in the production of fragrances, side effects can always occur.

For people who suffer from food allergies or those who follow special diets, it is important to study what substances the natural aroma contains.

Should you consume natural flavors?

From the point of view of your health and safety, it is best to avoid foods with natural or artificial flavors. It is advisable to always choose fresh, whole grain foods whenever possible.

Remember that manufacturers are not required to indicate the original sources or chemical mixtures during the extraction of fragrances. What they need to do is simply indicate what fragrances they have used.

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