The Flavor Factor:
Exploring Today’s Taste-Improving Technology

By Primo Bader, Markus Eckert and Steve Phelps


As organic processors enter into bigger mass markets, reaching out to a broader consumer base, they must keep in mind that this generation of consumers has different tastes, quite literally. Many of today’s customers, especially the younger demographic, prefer intensified flavors—the kind that used to be found only in conventional foods.

Many small to midsized organic processors have not yet ventured into the world of flavors. Most likely these entrepreneurs developed recipes in their kitchens using only raw ingredients. That is a good place to start; however, today more and more processors are finding that they can expand their toolbox by exploring the wide range of organic and non-synthetic flavors.

Developments in Organic Flavor Formulations
Organics is a fairly new area for flavor chemists but with the recent advances in organic flavor technology, what was once a tricky challenge is now common practice.

In order to create organic-compatible flavors, organic-compliant techniques are used to extract and concentrate the flavor from the natural ingredients. These organic flavors are then compounded to increase their potency and complement the inherent flavors of food ingredients. This allows food processors to highlight and intensify specific flavor notes or profiles, such as “juicy,” “peely” or “candy.” For example, fruit-flavored confections that were flavored exclusively using organic juice concentrates lacked the characteristic floral or delicate topnotes that consumers expected. Using certified organic flavors, the developer can now customize these products to more closely mimic the flavors of conventional candies.

Flavorists can also change the profile of a blueberry flavor from “jammy” to a fresh juice type. Also, raw materials such as isolates and extracts can be used with or without juice to create custom flavor characteristics. For example, a customized orange flavor can be heavier on “peely” notes with the addition of organic orange peel oils, or possess a lighter juicier note by adding organic essence oil fractions.

Another popular trend is called “add-back flavor,” which adds back flavor lost during processing. For instance, orange juice can lose much of its flavor during the concentration process but flavorists can add organic orange oil during the formulation to increase the flavor. Add-back flavors imply that all ingredients of the flavors are derived from the named fruit. They are available in organic and organic-compliant forms for many different citrus products as well as apple.

Flavor Technology
To produce organic flavor ingredients, several technologies are being used to fraction extracts and essential oils. These methods range from molecular distillation to spinning cone technology, which separates the volatiles of a product from the solids.

Flavor manufacturers are also now taking organic products to the next level using flavor modulation. Flavor modulators are ingredients that can enhance the salty taste in a salt reduced product or enhance the sweet flavors in a low sugar product. This technology also allows food processors to specifically design flavors to complement their products’ existing flavors or trick the palate into ignoring unpleasant tastes. Additionally, specific flavor profiles and combinations can be selected, keeping in mind the challenges from the inherent flavor of the unflavored blend. As an example, if the blend is inherently bitter, a flavor such as cranberry or grapefruit, which is also bitter, could be used as a complementary flavorant. While it is almost impossible to cover up bitter taste, there are organic modulators, or certain isolates from natural products, that can suppress bitterness. Organic certified versions can be produced, as well.

Supply Limitations with Organic Flavors
A main limitation when formulating with organic flavors is availability. While all flavors can be created organically, many may not yet have been done because of lack of supply. In this case, non-synthetic flavors, also referred to as “natural flavors,” could be used in compliance with the 95 percent rule.

This supply issue makes communication with vendors and an understanding of farm cycles very important. Manufacturers should make commitments for products with high juice content before harvest and allow for processing time to ensure that supply meets the need. Many organic-certified fruits may not be planted without a pre-arranged contract. Some manufacturers are willing to share the supply risk with their customers, provided customers are willing to disclose estimated timetables and volumes.

Some juices that can be a challenge to source are blueberry, cranberry and red cherry. Flavorists can help solve this problem by using natural flavors or organic flavors that do not contain juice.

Sometimes juice is used as a carrier system for flavors, adding flavor to the juice before it’s dried. But because some juices are so hard to find, spray-dried or freeze-dried juice containing organic flavors sometimes requires a lead time of a few months. Organic juice concentrates for pineapple and mango, for example, were recently unavailable to some manufacturers who failed to alert farmers of the impending demand.

While conventional juice stock may be abundant in frozen storage, organic stocks are in limited supply. Low- or no-juice liquid organic flavors can be used as replacements in some cases and are usually readily available with lead times that are about as predictable as those for conventional flavors. The same rules often apply to organic essential oils and oleoresins.

Solvents and the Organic Rule
Restrictions on solvents have been a challenge for flavorists, especially in organic flavors that allow even fewer of the solvents and emulsifiers than natural flavors. In liquid organic flavors, organic alcohol is the primary solvent used. In the same way that it is used in natural flavors, it assists in the flavor’s ability to be used in aqueous-based products. Since it is only functional in the flavor, it provides for a clean label and is listed as part of a natural or organic flavor. Other flavor carriers such as organic starches or gum acacia also allow for the emulsion of different types of oils and provide more viscosity. Extraction via CO2, organic ethanol or steam distillation is also allowed under the National Organic Program (NOP) standards.

Another obstacle with organics is flavor compounding. According to the NOP definition, no synthetic ingredients can be used except for those named on the National List. The NOP defines a synthetic as “a substance that is formulated or manufactured by a chemical process or by a process that chemically changes a substance extracted from naturally occurring plant, animal or mineral sources, except that such term shall not apply to substances created by naturally occurring biological processes.” This means that one cannot take two allowed non-synthetics, such as citric acid and ethanol, combine them to form tri-ethyl citrate, and use that resulting material in an organic finished product. The products can, however, be mixed in separately. A good flavorist, well versed in organic rules, can help you solve this situation.

Primo Bader, vice president of strategic marketing at Mastertaste Inc., is a 40-year veteran of the flavor industry. He began his career as a flavor chemist. You can contact him at primo.bader@mastertaste.com.

Markus Eckert is vice president, technical, at Mastertaste Inc. You can reach him at markus.eckert@mastertaste.com.

Steve Phelps, technical manager at Mastertaste Inc., has been in the flavor industry for more than 15 years. Since 2001, he has been involved in developing ingredients for use in flavoring organic food and beverage products. You can contact him at steve.phelps@mastertaste.com.