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Natural flavor vs. artificial flavor in ice cream
Alimentos SAS • May 12, 2021
When we go to the store, we are met with a glorious choice of different types of ice cream. But how do ice cream manufacturers come up with the next best flavor, and how do they know which flavors to keep and which to stop producing. What goes on behind the flavoring choices? And what is the difference between a natural flavor and an artificial flavor? Which type of ice cream flavoring is more popular?
Coming up with new flavors in the ice cream industry
Each ice cream brand has a research and flavor development team which works on launching their latest ice cream flavors. Through structured ideation the development team can come up with novel ideas. They then mix a prototype in the lab, after which they produce it on a mass scale.
Ben and Jerry’s have always been on the cusp of inventive and unique ice cream flavors. During the Pandemic Ben and Jerry’s created nearly 40 new products, making 2020 their most innovative year ever.
What is the main difference between a natural flavor and an artificial flavor?
Added flavors are used to amplify or modulate the sensory experience associated with the existing qualities of a product (Rose Kennedy, C., 2015).
The main difference between a natural and artificial flavor is the origin of the flavor chemicals. Natural flavors must be derived from plant or animal material. Artificial flavors are synthesized in the lab (Andrews, D., N.d.). Artificial flavors come from petroleum and other inedible substances. However, all flavor agents whether natural or artificial, are chemical compounds.
Natural flavor
Natural Vanilla flavor
Let’s look at Vanilla – the most popular flavor for ice cream in North America. It comes from a plant called Vanilla Planifolia belonging to the orchid family. There are several varieties of vanilla beans. Bourbon beans are great to produce the best vanilla extracts. Natural vanilla is also used to enhance the perception of sweetness and flavors – like chocolate, coffee, fruit, and nut.
There is a huge demand for vanilla flavoring world-wide. Flavorists have come up with substitutes for the natural flavor of vanilla because vanilla beans can only be acquired from hand-pollinated flowering orchids in certain tropical areas. Castoreum, the secretion from the anal glands and castor sacs of beavers, is one of these substitutes. It is considered a natural flavor because it is obtained from an animal source.
The natural flavor of fruit
Fruit for ice cream is available in the following forms:
- Fresh fruit
- Raw frozen fruit
- Open kettle processed fruit
- Aseptically processed fruit purees
Some of the advantages of processed fruits:
- Availability
- Ice cream quality
- Microbial safety
- Convenience
Fruit extracts can give an ice cream flavor an added flavor boost. They are popular in sorbets, gelatos, and fruit popsicles.
Artificial flavor
The FDA defines artificial flavor or artificial flavoring as: “any substance, the function of which is to impart flavor, which is not derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof” (“Code of Federal Regulations”, 2020).
Most vanilla substitutes are artificial vanillin which can be produced by chemical synthesis. Vanillin is said to improve flavor over pure vanilla extract. Ethyl vanillin, which is even more flavorful than vanillin, can be produced by adding one extra carbon atom to vanillin.
For artificial fruit flavors, flavorists will look for cheaper sources that mimic the fruit’s molecular fingerprint.
Six artificial flavors, commonly found in ice cream and candy, were banned by the FDA in 2018 due to being carcinogenic. The flavorings were used as imitations of natural mint, citrus, and cinnamon flavors.
Why is a natural flavor always preferred and better accepted in general
Many consumers who glance at a food label, to check out the ingredients, will opt for a product that contains natural flavors rather than artificial ones. They might not even really know the difference.
The FDA doesn’t require that the ingredients of artificial flavors, that have earned a place on the Generally Marked as Safe (GRAS) List, be published. Although an artificial flavor may be of the exact same chemical compound as the natural one, customers prefer to know what they are consuming.
Consumers increasingly prefer natural elements in their food. A completely natural flavor, like processed fruit, will always win over an artificial one. Unfortunately, some natural flavors are costly to obtain and can have a negative effect on the environment. But as far as the consumer is concerned natural is always better. And as we can see from the past, if a product mentions artificial flavor without clarifying which ones, in the consumer’s mind there is a chance that the product contains carcinogens.
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