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- Natural and artificial flavors often taste different because natural flavors include hundreds of compounds that contribute to complex flavor profiles, while artificial flavors pinpoint the most prevalent compounds to create less expensive and less complex flavors that still taste similar to their natural counterparts.
People also ask
What makes natural flavors different from artificial flavors?
What is artificial flavor?
Why are natural sources of flavor so complex?
Can a yogurt flavor be artificial?
Are natural flavors safer than artificial flavors?
Does natural flavor come from a plant?
Nov 3, 2017 · While chemists make natural flavors by extracting chemicals from natural ingredients, artificial flavors are made by creating the same chemicals synthetically. Platkin says the reason companies...
Mar 15, 2017 · Both natural and artificial flavors are synthesized in laboratories, but artificial flavors come from petroleum and other inedible substances, while “natural flavor” can refer to...
- Kate Dwyer
- Overview
- What are natural flavors?
- What does ‘natural’ actually mean?
- Should you consume natural flavors?
- Ingredients classified as natural flavors
- Should you choose natural flavors over artificial flavors?
- Are natural flavors safe?
You may have seen the term “natural flavors” on ingredient lists. These are flavoring agents that food manufacturers add to their products to enhance the taste. However, this term can be pretty confusing and even misleading.
This article takes a detailed look at what natural flavors are, how they compare to artificial flavors and potential health concerns around them.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations, natural flavors are created from substances extracted from these plant or animal sources (1):
•spices
•fruit or fruit juice
•vegetables or vegetable juice
•edible yeast, herbs, bark, buds, root leaves, or plant material
•dairy products, including fermented products
Research has shown that when “natural” appears on food packaging, people tend to form positive opinions about the product, including how healthy it is (4).
However, since the FDA hasn’t officially defined this term, it can be used to describe almost any type of food (3).
In the case of a natural flavor, the original source must be a plant or animal. By contrast, the original source of an artificial flavor is a synthetic chemical (5).
Importantly, all flavors contain chemicals, whether they are natural or artificial. In fact, every substance in the world, including water, is composed of chemicals.
Natural flavors are complex mixtures created by specially trained food chemists known as flavorists.
However, members of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA), a trade group that evaluates the safety of flavor additives in the United States, have been criticized by nutrition experts and public interest groups for not disclosing safety data on natural flavors (6, 7).
The original source of natural flavors must be plant or animal material. However, natural flavors can be highly processed and contain many chemical additives.
In fact, in some cases natural flavors aren’t much different from artificial flavors in terms of chemical composition and health effects.
From a health and safety standpoint, try to focus on choosing fresh or frozen whole foods whenever possible.
Food manufacturers are only required to list flavors on ingredients lists, not to reveal the original sources or chemical mixtures of these flavors.
To find out where the natural flavors in a food product come from and what chemicals they contain, you can contact the food company by phone or email to ask them directly.
According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization, these mixtures can contain more than 100 different chemicals in addition to their original flavor source, including preservatives, solvents, and other substances (10, 11).
There are hundreds of natural flavors created by food chemists. Here are a few that are commonly found in foods and beverages:
•Amyl acetate. This compound can be distilled from bananas in order to provide banana-like flavor in baked goods.
•Citral. Also known as geranial, citral is extracted from lemongrass, lemon, orange, and pimento. It is used in citrus-flavored beverages and sweets.
•Benzaldehyde. This chemical is extracted from almonds, cinnamon oil, and other ingredients. It is frequently used to give foods an almond flavor and aroma.
•Castoreum. A somewhat surprising and unsettling source, this slightly sweet substance is found in the anal secretions of beavers. It is sometimes used as a substitute for vanilla, although this is rare due to its high cost.
Other natural flavors include:
It may seem healthier to choose foods that contain natural flavors and avoid those with artificial flavors.
However, in terms of chemical composition, the two are remarkably similar. The chemicals in a particular flavor may be naturally derived or synthetic.
In fact, artificial flavors sometimes contain fewer chemicals than natural flavors.
In addition, some advocacy groups, such as the American Council on Science and Health, have argued that artificial flavors are actually safer because they are produced under tightly controlled laboratory conditions (3, 13).
Artificial flavors are also less expensive to produce, which makes them more appealing to food manufacturers.
In addition, people who are vegetarian or vegan may unknowingly be ingesting animal-derived natural flavors in processed foods.
Before natural or artificial flavors can be added to food, they must be evaluated by the FEMA Expert Panel to confirm that they meet safety standards (14).
Results of this evaluation are published and reported to the FDA. If the flavoring meets safety criteria, it can be added to the “Generally Recognized as Safe” list of substances that are exempt from further evaluation by the FDA.
In addition, most natural flavors determined to be safe through this program have also been reviewed by other international regulatory organizations, such as the European Food Safety Authority.
Although some public interest groups have criticized FEMA for not disclosing information on the safety of natural flavors, most of these flavors are considered safe when consumed in moderation (6, 7, 8).
Still, because natural flavor mixtures often contain many different chemicals, some people may experience adverse reactions.
For this reason, it’s very important to be aware of the ingredients in the natural flavors you consume, especially if you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions.
- Franziska Spritzler
Sep 21, 2015 · Artificial flavors are any flavors that are not defined as natural, even if they have the exact same chemical composition as flavors isolated directly from nature [1]. This distinction between the origins of flavors has no bearing on how safe, healthy, or delicious they are.
Aug 10, 2018 · Basically, a natural flavor is one that's derived from a plant or animal. An artificial flavor, on the other hand, does not come from a plant or animal source, and instead is generated from scratch.
- Daniel Gritzer
May 10, 2022 · According to Michael Hansen, PhD, senior scientist at CR, “There’s no real difference between natural and artificial flavors in terms of nutrition.” “Natural flavors,” as defined by...
Jan 8, 2018 · Artificial flavors are created by flavor specialists. Natural sources of flavor are often structurally more complex because a fruit or plant material is not designed to produce high yields of a single compound in the same way a specialist can. Here is where it becomes even more complex.
