Date: 01/10/2020
.The use of natural flavours is of great importance in the food industrialization process due to the need to make the products more appetizing and closer to the ideal taste, maintaining its nutritional value.
Among its various features, natural flavours are added to food in order to provide desirable characteristics related to the taste and odor of the food.
With the growing demand by consumers for healthier and more natural foods, the use of natural flavours is a great alternative to apply in formulations, including processed foods.
The market for healthy and natural foods has grown exponentially, according to research by Statista, this market will move more than US$ 800 billion in 2021. Therefore, natural flavours have been essential for the food industry to avoid the use of synthetic or artificial options.
In this blog post, we will understand what natural flavours are, how to use them as ingredients, and learn more about the benefits of natural chicken and pork flavours when added to processed meat products.
Synthetic and natural flavours
Flavorings represent significant importance in food industry because they have sensory properties, they are capable of providing or intensifying the aroma and/or flavour of food. They can be classified as synthetic or natural, and among the synthetic options, there are those identical to natural, and the artificial ones.
In natural flavours, the molecules are obtained from animal or vegetable origin, through physical, microbiological, or enzymatic processes. Synthetic flavours, on the other hand, are produced by chemical reactions of synthesis. When this synthesis results in molecules not identified in animal, vegetable, or microbial sources, the flavours are considered “artificial”.
Meanwhile, consumers want to have balanced taste and odor characteristics that are expected of a particular food.
Thus, the use of natural flavours has been increasingly valued, as they provide desirable sensory characteristics, in addition to contributing to the healthiness of the product.
Why are flavorings added to foods?
Flavours are substances that provide sensory characteristics to food. In addition to being directly related to odor, they play a key role in how a particular food tastes.
However, during the industrial process, it is possible to add flavours in order to provide or intensify the odor or taste of food.
The use of these ingredients is also directly linked to the pleasure of consumption, satisfying the most demanding palates, or contributing to food intake, while maintaining its nutritional value.
According to an article published in Foreverest, sensory characteristics are fundamental in the acceptance of food. For example, when tasting a pepperoni sausage, the consumer expects to feel the smoked, pork, and pepperoni flavours in the product. Otherwise, the chances of having a frustrated customer are greatly increased.
Considering this situation, the application of flavorings in food plays a fundamental role in the acceptance of the product, since taste and odor are factors that must be balanced in the food and are determinant for consumer satisfaction.
Natural flavours
According to the Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria (ANVISA), natural flavours are obtained through physical, microbiological, or enzymatic methods, using flavoring raw materials found in nature, and not chemically synthesized.
Natural flavoring raw materials are products of animal or vegetable origin normally used in human consumption, containing odorous and/or flavoring substances, either in their natural state or after an appropriate treatment (roasting, cooking, fermentation, enzymatic hydrolysis, etc.).
The terms “artificial” in foods or “synthetic additives” can generate distrust among consumers, and their preference ends up being directed to products that contain natural ingredients and which are free of chemical components on the label.
Understanding this fact, the use of natural flavours by the food industry has been expanding this movement of transformation and the search for more natural and healthier foods.
One of the most used flavours in the food industry today is the natural flavour of meat derivatives. And there is an option in the market for this ingredient made from chicken and pork meat, called Chicken and Pork Meat Natural Flavours. The benefits of these ingredients already appear in their preparation process.
The extraction of these Chicken and Pork Meat Natural Flavours occur through fresh raw material subjected to a slow cooking process and then the separation of the insoluble proteins and fats. From there, the concentration process takes place to obtain the final product. Resulting in a natural flavour with high protein concentration.
In the liquid versions of these products, there is the addition of salt aiming for sensory benefits and, above all, to increase conservation, since salt reduces water activity and provides an antimicrobial activity.
However, in powder versions, they are processed using a drying method at the end of production, also allowing the production of the product without salt.
This ingredient can be added to various products, such as soups, sauces/marinades, broths, instant noodles, spices, biscuits, and processed meat products.
Natural flavours in the processed food market
As we have seen here, natural flavours have the function of rounding off the flavour and odor of food formulations, making them more palatable. Thus, one can consider as a great option the use of the Chicken and Pork Meat Natural Flavours in processed food, such as sausages, bologna, and various fresh and cooked sausages. Considering that, in addition to enhancing the product’s characteristics, this ingredient does not harm the nutritional composition. And actually, it values a more natural aspect of the food, since it does not contain dyes.
In practice, this means a reliable and pleasant food to the consumer’s taste and smell, with the claim to be offering a product that contains ingredients of natural origin and processing, by improving the juiciness and providing a harmonic sensation when the food is tasted. Thus, there is an increase in the acceptance of products compared to options with artificial ingredients.
How to choose a good natural flavour for processed food?
With this information considered, here’s how to choose a good flavour for your formulation:
- Choosing a quality ingredient starts with selecting a reliable supplier.
- Flavours must be produced with appropriate technology for the development of a formula with raw materials of natural animal origin;
- Flavours must have different presentations in order to allow a better adaptation to the processed food formulations, such as liquid and powder options, with or without salt.
Conclusion
The application of natural flavours in the food industry has been increasingly valued. This meets a growing demand for consumer awareness to purchase healthier and more natural foods, but which provide taste and odor characteristics already known in previous products.
The use of Chicken and Pork Meat Natural Flavours in processed food does not affect the nutritional properties and has the main objective of working in synergy with other odors and flavours in the formulations.
Therefore, the use of natural meat flavours allows improved juiciness in a harmonious way and embodies the sensation of food in the mouth, arousing pleasure in tasting in a healthier way.
