Food products without artificial flavors are becoming more and more sought-after by consumers, while natural flavorings consist of ingredients derived from plants and animals but may contain chemicals as well.
Chemical flavorings created in laboratories may produce similar flavor profiles as natural ones, but are they really better?
Natural Sources
Contrary to popular belief, natural and artificial flavors do not differ chemically; their only distinction lies in where their source materials come from – either plant or animal material, while an artificial flavor is manufactured artificially in a lab.
Even though natural and artificial flavors don’t behave exactly alike, they are generally considered equivalent by food production standards and regulatory agencies. Furthermore, both must undergo extensive safety evaluations.
As opposed to synthetic chemicals that have been linked with adverse health effects like lung damage, many natural flavorings are safe for human consumption at their intended levels of use. For instance, products may contain both artificial and natural strawberry flavors so as to give consumers what they expect. As it can be difficult for manufacturers to source enough strawberries for all the products they produce using them as flavoring sources, such as paper pulp producing similar chemical structures efficiently in greater amounts than strawberries would.
Less Expensive
Flavors are an integral component of food. Used to create specific tastes and oftentimes imitate costly ingredients that would otherwise be hard or cost prohibitive to produce naturally, food manufacturers rely heavily on flavor additives to give their products their unique characteristics – for instance giving beef jerky its characteristic smokey taste, aged whiskey aroma or adding movie popcorn flavoring in butter products.
Natural flavors are extracted from plants, flowers, herbs, spices, vegetables and animals. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “a natural flavor can be defined as any essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extract obtained by roasting, heating, cooking, enzymatic digestion or otherwise using substances of plant or animal origin such as fruit vegetables grains roots bud bark stem leaves; with exceptions made for components identified as common allergens.”
Artificial flavors are synthesized in labs using chemicals such as methyl anthranilate – the main constituent in many purple candies and beverages.
Less Environmental Impact
Artificial flavors may be produced using both natural and synthetic sources, yet must still undergo rigorous safety evaluations as food additives. This evaluation process is overseen by a panel of experts with experience in fields like chemistry, toxicology, pharmacology and medicine.
Artificial flavors may be more eco-friendly than their natural counterparts due to not coming from animal or plant sources and having simpler chemical mixtures than their natural counterparts that contain an array of different substances.
Natural and artificial flavors are both safe for consumption, but it’s essential that your choice reflects your personal values. Be wary of foods containing artificial additives on ingredient lists; try opting for whole, minimally processed options to limit exposure. Also avoid “natural” additives like tartrazine which could have come from common allergens and could potentially trigger allergic reactions in some individuals.
Easier to Control
Artificial flavor chemicals are typically manufactured in laboratories while natural flavors come from various sources. While this might seem like an irrelevant distinction, its cost-effectiveness and long-term safety could prove crucial considerations.
Natural ingredients can be difficult to control due to climate fluctuations, crop failures and transportation expenses – factors which can have serious ramifications on both the environment and finances.
Artificial flavors tend to be simpler and easier to control, which explains their increased popularity with manufacturers. Thus, some companies opt to incorporate artificial flavors in their products; however, Thorne chooses only natural sources when it comes to colors, flavors, and sweeteners in our beverages; we believe it is more important for customers to consume food that contains minimal ingredients so as to maximize customer experience and minimize health risks.
