|
Chennai, March 6, 2001 Processed foods, beverages and cosmetics have for long been popular industries as demand is always good for these products. One common thread in all these industries is their use of flavours. Flavours are not only important in the foods and beverages segments, they are increasingly being used by the cosmetic and drug industries as well. From vanillin and coumarin popular in the West to cardamom and pepper in the East, flavours have always played an important role in several formulations. Manufacturing flavours could be profitable for small and medium enterprises, as they can use the same equipment to manufacture different flavours. Flavouring food: Food flavours are differentiated according to the four main sensations - sweet, sour, salt and bitter. Howell suggested the following ratings for the purpose of setting up threshold values:
The tongue, which has nearly 3,000 papillae for the reception of salt, sweet, sour and bitter signals, chiefly detects sweetness at the tip, bitterness at the back, saltiness at the middle edges and sourness or acidity at the front edges and on the upper surface. And using the above ratings, it can be seen that the tongue is 10,000 times more sensitive to the bitterness of quinine than to the sweetness of sugar. Saccharin, the artificial sweetener, on this scale would rate about 0.001 percent. The interplay of the acid (such as citric acid) and sweetener (sucrose) components of a flavouring process is significant. Sucrose reduces acidity while losing some of its sweetness. An interesting fact is that a predominant feature of cigarette smoke is the bitter taste - smokers need 0.035 per cent of quinine hydrochloride as the minimum threshold concentration, against 0.016 percent for non-smokers. So increasing the normal amounts of salt, acid and sugar enhances the masking properties of cherry, raspberry, coconut, cream soda and butterscotch flavours in respect of the bitter taste. Cosmetic appeal: A lipstick perfume compound is not only smelled but also tasted and functions as a perfume-flavour hybrid. The sweet odorants include anisyl formate, benzyl formate and the corresponding isobutyl esters. For compounding the perfume, flavours of jasmine, violet, lilac and rose are added. The lemon, apricot, strawberry or other similar flavours that act as fresheners give the topnotes. The background notes are provided by vanilla, coconut, clove, ginger, caramel etc. The classification of flavours become very complex as the substances under reference may not be understood in identical situations (spice flavour from ground spice will differ from that of the spice oil). As a broad generalisation, the following guidelines are given for the purpose of classification. Natural flavours: Natural flavours divided into fruity, spicy, fatty, fermented. Fruity flavours can be terpenaceous or non-terpenaceous as in orange, raspberry, peach, fruit juice, citrus, berry etc. Spicy will be aromatic/phenolic and remain pungent as in cinnamon, nutmeg, clove pepper, ginger, mustard etc. Fatty belongs to oils/fat/milk as in olive, butter, fat, raw and processed milk Fermented flavours are malty and can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic as in malt, bread, beer, wine, tea and cocoa. Artificial flavours: Artificial flavours are based very largely upon synthetics of a very volatile nature, and the lack of sustained taste on the tongue will be readily understood. It is customary to use small quantities of other substances having necessarily no flavour relationship, but which act very much in the manner of a perfumery fixative. Here are some of the popular artificial flavours: Vanilla: Vanillins are normally supplied as creamy white powders with characteristic odours and flavours. Natural vanilla, obtained from the beans of the orchid vanilla fragrans, is used in high-class confectionery and ice creams. For cheaper uses, chemical vanillin and ethyl vanillin is used. Synthetic fruit flavours: Apricot: A typical composition of this artificial flavouring would be as follows:
Other possible constituents include ionones, violet bases, benzaldehyde, trans 2 hexenyl acetate, vanillin and citronellyl formate. Banana: Natural constituents and suitable modifiers for banana imitations include:
Lemon: Merory's formula for an imitation lemon flavour is based on orange terpeneol plus citral, some lemon oil, traces of fatty aldehydes, methyl heptenone etc. Apart from these flavours, there are other, equally popular flavouring agents. Menthol: The menthol from mentha plants finds wide use in pharmaceuticals, cough syrups, lozenges and toothpastes. The food industry requires menthol as a flavouring agent for confectionery, liquors, chewing gum etc. The estimated Indian production of mentha arvensis oil is around 1,600 tonnes per annum. Mint peppermint (mentha piperita): A perennial herb, peppermint mentha is popular as it has a better fragrance. The essential oil is steam distilled with 3-4 percent yield. The peppermint oil is pale yellow or greenish yellow in colour with a grass minty camphoraceous odour. For removal of menthol, the whole oil is subjected to a process of vacuum filtration and chilling, followed by centrifuging. The spent oil known as "dementholised oil" still contains about 30 percent free menthol. This oil blends with benzoin, rosemary, lavender, marjoram, lemon, eucalyptus and other mints. Peppermint oil is widely used to flavour tobacco, chewing gum, soft drinks, pharmaceutical formulations and as cough, cold and digestive remedies. Oleoresins: Oleoresins have recently become popular as flavouring agents due to their relative stability at high temperatures prevailing during the processes of baking, autoclaving etc. They contain both essential oils and natural fixatives. They are prepared by grinding the herb or spice (turmeric, ginger, capsicum etc), followed by the circulation of a selective solvent and carefully removing the same from the rather viscous solute. Oleoresins contain more high boiling constituents than essential oils, which contain a large proportion of low boiling components. Oleoresin oil of black pepper, with its relatively higher content of sesquiterpenes, is heavy, less volatile and stable. The oleoresin derived from nutmeg oil has higher content of eugenol and other phenolic derivatives, and the non-volatile myristic acid esters in it act as solvent fixatives. As these are concentrated extracts, they are typically used in the following manner, to match the desired strength of the ground spice/herb. Oleoresins score over conventional spices, as they are clean (free from physical impurities and extraneous matter) and sterile (free from pathogens and microbiological contaminants). Also, as the active ingredients/colour, flavour and physical properties are standardised, oleoresins facilitate consistency in end-use, which is not always possible with raw spices. The concentrated extract can be diluted to varying strengths to meet required end-use flavour, colour, taste, etc. Other advantages of oleoresins include: Uniform dispersion of spice extract provides Contract manufacturing: Most flavour manufacturers in the small-scale sector operate their units as multi-product facilities as the common/same distillation equipment can be used for meeting the specific requirements of formulators who have branded products. A typical product list of a manufacturer near Chennai, India, is given below.
A few of the small players in this industry in the South are: Kancor Flavours has positioned itself as an integrated supplier of custom developed seasonings, batters, marinades, sauces and dressings, mayonnaise, flavours for food and beverages, as well as functional ingredients like lecithins and commodities such as herbs, spices and tomato powders. Kancor Flavours and Extracts Ltd
Asean Aromatics, near Chennai, a recognised exporter of flavour compounds, from a small beginning in 1985, claims to have made rapid strides and is today a Rs 100 million company with ambitious plans to achieve Rs 400 million by the year 2004. Acknowledgements: Scope Marketing
and Information Solutions Pvt. Ltd
|