Flavoring
A substance added to food to provide or enhance its taste or aroma. Flavorings can come from natural sources or be produced synthetically.
Taste: The sensory perception of substances dissolved in the mouth, including sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami qualities. Flavorings can directly stimulate taste receptors to strengthen or add basic tastes.
Vanilla extract: A liquid flavoring made by extracting vanilla compounds, especially vanillin, from vanilla beans. It is a familiar flavoring used in baked goods, desserts, and drinks.
Natural flavor: A flavoring derived from plant, animal, or microbial material through physical, enzymatic, or microbiological processes. Its source-based definition contrasts with flavorings made through chemical synthesis.
Food safety: The practices and standards used to prevent food from causing illness or harm. Flavoring ingredients must meet safety requirements at their intended levels of use.
Olfaction: The sense of smell, produced when airborne molecules activate receptors in the nose. Many flavorings contribute aroma through molecules detected by the nose.
Essential oil: A concentrated, volatile mixture of aromatic compounds extracted from plants. Citrus and spice oils can provide concentrated aroma in foods.
Artificial flavor: A flavoring substance made synthetically rather than extracted from natural source materials. It is the principal source-based counterpart to natural flavor.
Generally Recognized as Safe: A United States regulatory designation for substances experts consider safe under intended conditions of use. Many flavoring substances are used in the United States under this regulatory framework.
Flavor: The combined sensory impression of food, shaped chiefly by taste, smell, and oral sensations. Flavorings target this broader experience rather than taste alone.
Smoke flavoring: A food flavoring produced by capturing and processing compounds generated during wood pyrolysis. It gives foods smoky aroma without requiring direct smoking.