Natural flavoring agents include fruit, nuts, seafood, spice blends, vegetables, and wine, all of which are key food additives. But today it is possible to create synthetic food flavoring agents that mimic natural flavors. Among the chemical flavoring agents are alcohols with a bitter and medicinal taste, esters with a fruity taste, ketones and pyrazines with a smokey or citrusy taste, and phenolics with a garlicky taste.
Apart from these chemicals, some natural ingredients are also added to enhance the flavor. Salt and sugar are the two natural ingredients that play a key role in taste as well as in preservation. Canned foods can be seasoned with it, as a preservative, and as a dietary component.
However, most synthetic flavors are widely used in the FMCG industry. Some of them are also incorporated into canned food items. The process of canning involves processing food and sealing it in an airtight container to prevent microorganisms from entering.
When specific food preservatives and flavors are added to canned food, they increase palatability. Companies use a combination of thermal processing and encapsulation procedures to ensure high thermal resistance and high durability for such foods. But what flavoring agents do they use?
Flavoring agents used to enhance the flavor:
L-Carveol
L-Carveol is a colorless, clear liquid with a spearmint odor. It is insoluble in water and is used as a food flavoring agent in many canned foods. It is also used in a variety of beverages, soaps, perfumes, etc.
Dihydro carveol
Dihydrocarveol is a monoterpenoid and is obtained as the dihydro derivative of carveol. It has a role as an acaricide which is a volatile oil component and a plant metabolite. It is used in a lot of food items due to its minty spicy flavor.
Dihydro carvone
Among dihydrocarvone the cis-(−)-dihydrocarvone is widely used due to its flavoring properties. It has a diffuse, intense odor with a herbaceous bynote. Since Carvone is found naturally in many essential oils, it is a preferred additive in the food industry.
Pulegone
(S)-(-)-pulegone is a naturally found aromatic agent which is used as a source for flavorings, particularly imparting “cassis” type aromas
