Natural Flavors

May 28, 2018June 1, 2018 Product Paladin Comments Off

Unless the product is USDA Certified Organic, we advise avoiding foods containing natural flavors. Also, if you are following a vegan or vegetarian diet, we advise avoiding foods containing natural flavors. Details below.

What are they, actually?

According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. Natural flavors include the natural essence or extractives obtained from plants listed in 182.10, 182.20, 182.40, and 182.50 and part 184 of this chapter, and the substances listed in 172.510 of this chapter.” (21CFR101.22)

In short, the single “natural flavor” listed on a label of a product can contain any number of the permitted ingredients that are listed and linked in the above paragraph. That’s a lot of potential ingredients!

Oleoresins, Essences and Extracts

Solvents are required to extract flavors in the creation of oleoresins, essences and extracts. The list of permitted solvents in USDA Certified Organic natural flavors must be non-GMO and may include:

Carbon dioxide
Essential oil
Ethanol
Vegetable oils
Water

The list of permitted solvents in natural flavors that may be used in conventional products (not USDA Certified Organic) is larger. In addition to the above list (which may include essential oils, ethanol and vegetable oils derived from genetically modified sources instead of organic sources), the following are some of the solvents that are permitted:

Freon
Hexane
Propane
Triglycerides

The USDA Certified Organic seal does carry with it some protection. According to Quality Assurance International, an organic certifier, natural flavors used in USDA Certified Organic products cannot contain any genetically modified ingredients, chlorinated solvents, halogenated solvents or hydrocarbon solvents.

Protein Hydrolysate and Enzymolysis

These are big words that describe turning one substance into another by breaking bonds between molecules. This is done using water, acid, alkali or enzymes. A list of some of the enzymes permitted by the FDA along with their specific purposes can be found here. Some include: