User:LucyK

The Language of Flavor

A

Absolute: alcohol soluble liquid concentrate obtained from botanical (plant) material.

Acetaldehyde: volatile material with juicy character of orange.

Acetal: product obtained from reaction of alcohol and aldehyde in presence of acid; possesses fruity notes.

Acetic Acid: active ingredient of vinegar occurs as a byproduct of fermentation process in dairy products, fruits, oxidation of wine; possesses characteristic sour/vinegary notes.

Acids: flavor constituents with aromatic and taste contributions.

Acidity: sourness of flavor.

Alcohol: ethyl alcohol, ethanol used in flavor industry at the strengths 95% by volume and is available commercially.

Antioxidant: substance added to retard or prevent oxidation in food/flavor systems (BHA, BHT, Tocopherols, Ascorbic Acid-some examples).

Aging: the continuous process of mellowing over a period of time in food/flavor systems (wine, cheese).

Aroma: the pleasant characteristic of odor, as in plants, spices, foods or flavors.

Artificial Flavor: means any substance the function of which is to impart flavor, which is not derived from spice, fruit, botanical, etc.

Artificial Sweetener: a potent sweetener with little nutritional or caloric value often used as a substitute for sugar in beverages due to its economical attributes from low usage with higher impact.

Attribute: the perceived character of food, flavor nuances, and textural description.

Autolyzed Yeast: internal enzymatic destruction of yeast cell with creation of complex amino acids, acts to enhance taste of product, impart meaty, cheesy characteristics to foods.

Autolyzed Yeast Extract (AYE): the separation of cell wall material with means to provide a clear product. B

Balsam: natural raw material exuded from the tree or plant. Resinous masses of viscous liquid insoluble in water, with characteristic flavor profile.

Baker’s Emulsion: flavor emulsion for use in cookies, cakes and other baked products.

Baker’s Yeast: variety of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains used for raising the dough and imparts specific flavor profile to these types of products.

Balanced: expression referred to flavor profile, meaning a quality combination of all the necessary characters in flavor.

Base: food system in which a flavor is being evaluated and built upon to improve it.

Baumé: a unit to measure amounts of solids dissolved in syrup and density, expressed in degrees.

Bellywash: inexpensive, colored, flavored and sweetened drink.

Binder: a material or combination of materials used in holding together meat product.

Bitter: the taste which is perceived in the back of the tongue and contributed by many alkaloids, peptides and glycosides found in some foods like grapefruit.

Blotter: a thin strip of special paper that is dipped into flavor for aroma evaluation.

Bottler’s Syrup: a syrup containing sugar, flavor, acidulant, preservatives and color, which is diluted with carbonated water to make a finished beverage.

Bottling Directions: the formula (recipe) for making the finished Bottler’s syrup and the finished soft drink.

Bouquet: positive description referring to the overall aroma profile of a flavor.

Bright: terminology to describe a clear color and to pronounce a flavor profile.

Brix: a measure of sugar content, calculated in grams of sugar per 100 grams of product and expressed in percent degrees.

Buffer: the salt of a weak acid and/or base used to control pH and produce a more rounded flavor profile.

Bulking Agent: any inert material used to increase the volume of a dry flavor blend.

Brown Flavor: connotes type of flavor character in overripe fruits, caramelic flavors, and coffee.

Burnt: flavor characteristic associated with the aroma of burning materials, especially used in coffee flavors.

Buttery: having a flavor reminiscent of dairy butter.

C

Caffeine: a stimulant substance (alkaloid) found naturally in coffee beans, tea leafs, and cocoa beans. Added to beverage such as colas.

Caking: the process of absorption of water by dry materials and subsequent accumulation of hard particles or clumps in dry flavor.

Calorie: the common designation for food energy.

Camphoraceous: having a flavor similar to that of camphor.

Capsaicin: The active ingredient of capsicum pepper; provides a burning sensation which hits on the tip and the middle of the tongue, then travels to the back of the tongue.

Carbonated Beverage: sodas, soda pops. Those flavored drinks that utilize soluble carbon dioxide to form carbolic acid in water.

Carbonation: the addition of carbon dioxide to water or another liquid.

Carrier: the dilutent, solvent or base for a flavor. May be liquid or dry material.

Character: the quality of a flavor which gives it its special attributes among and over others.

Characteristic: connotation or recognition of a flavor. Profile that makes flavor to be recognized as such.

Charred: to burn or oxidize to the point of carbonization.

Chemical: a descriptive term which describes an odor characteristic too high, out of place, reminiscent of solvent or industrial chemical odors.

Chemical Abstracts Services (CAS): an agency which assigns numbers to chemicals to remove confusion in chemical terminology. Publication lists all of the known chemicals and its numbers. It is used on the MSDS sheets for hazardous emergency.

Chocolatey: having a chocolate like character. Could be with brown or burnt notes.

Citrus Flavors: flavors made from oils and juices of the citrus fruits like orange, lemon, lime, tangerine, grapefruit, mandarin, and bergamot.

Citrus Oils: the non-water phase of the citrus fruits derived by expression or distillation.

Cold Pressed Oil: essential oil, expressed from the peel of the fruit by applied mechanical pressure.

Cloud: a neutral aroma system whose sole purpose is to provide opacity to a finished beverage.

Cloudiness: a state in which citrus beverage is mostly expected to be.

Coalesce, Coalescence: in beverage emulsion the process of two like particles forming a larger particle by combining.

Coarse: a flavor profile which is not rounded or smooth.

Colloid (colloidal suspension): a suspension of particulates in a liquid or a solid.

Color (colorant): the product (dyes), approved and regulated by the FDA, used in foods, drugs and cosmetics to provide visual attribute to product.

Concentrate: any high strength flavor used in beverage industry.

Concentrated or Folded Oils: usually strong essential oils where some components are removed to increase strength of material.

Concentrated Fruit Juice: juice from which water has been removed leaving a viscous material 5-6 times stronger than the original fruit juice. It is kept frozen for prolonged storage.

Concrete: a semi-solid mixture obtained after extraction of animal or plant (flowers) material containing essential oils, waxy and fatty material. Provides a good base for flavor.

Condiment: a seasoning or blend of spice which is used in cooking or as a topping.

Confectionery: the class of food product in which sugar is used to produce sweets and candies.

Contamination: the introduction of undesirable elements, such as a foreign substance, which destroys or lessens the integrity, stability or appearance of a food or flavor.

Cool, Cooling Effect: a reduction in the temperature on the tongue, ingredients that have a negative heat of solution, or by odor on the mucosa (menthol).

Corn Syrup: a sweetener made from corn product by enzymatic reaction. Extensively used in beverage industry.

Covering Agent: an ingredient capable of covering or improving an unpleasant odor or taste in a food system.

Cream Flavor: associated with vanilla in cream soda drinks.

Creamy Flavor: a characteristic of food with fine fat particles and viscosity to give a taste of smooth texture.

Curing Agent: a blend of ingredients which enhance flavor and imparts characteristic notes to meat, fish or cheese product.

D

Deep: a flavor profile which has rich, long lasting quality.

Decoction: boiling down material with solvent to extract an essence, followed by filtration.

Defoaming Agent: an ingredient which reduces foaming after it has developed in product.

Dehydration: the purposeful removal of water from food product by heat or vacuum.

Delicate: a flavor which is light and pleasant.

Descriptive Analysis: the procedure by which a product is described using preset or agreed upon conditions or terminology.

Dextrose: also known as glucose. A simple monosugar.

Dextrose Equivalent: a rating scale that measures the sweetness of product comparable or in relation to dextrose. Pure dextrose has a DE of 100.

Dirty Notes: reminiscent of moldy, earthy notes in flavor.

Distillate: a clear flavorful liquid produced from fruits, herbs, roots, etc. by distillation process utilizing alcohol/water as a solvent. Condensate from any distillation.

Distilled Oil: an essential oil produced by dry or steam distillation process.

Dry Taste: a taste with perception reminiscent of reduction of moisture in the mouth, associated with presence of tannins and/or acids in wines, tea, and cranberry.

Dry Out: the last character which is left after most of the other volatile ingredients evaporated.

E

Egg Nog: holiday time drink consisting of sweet, smooth dairy cream / egg base spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and rum flavors.

Emulsion: the dispersion of droplets of a liquid in a second immersible liquid (i.e., oil in water). Emulsion flavors are extensively used in drinks.

Encapsulation: process which involves coating liquid or solid particles with partially impermeable layers to delay evaporation and/or physical interaction.

Enhancer: a product with little value of its own that synergistically increases perception when added to an existing flavoring substance (i.e., MSG).

Essence: a concentrated flavorant, alcoholic solution of volatile oils. Also, the first part of water removed in the concentration of fruit juices. It contains the most volatile flavor notes.

Essential Oil: A material derived from the extraction or distillation of flowers, leaves, barks, exudates, buds, fruits or other plant parts which is used in flavoring and perfumery.

Ester Gum: glycerol esters of wood rosin, a weighting agent for citrus flavor emulsions with legal limit use in some countries. Prohibited in Canada.

Extended Flavor: dispersion of a flavor on a dry carrier to achieve usable level attribute.

Extract: the concentrated flavor notes obtained from an essential oil by treating it with a solvent. F

Fahrenheit: the scale measuring temperature which has 32 degrees representing the freezing point of water and 212 degrees representing the boiling point of water.

Food Chemical Codex (FCC): a compendium of food ingredients and additives, maintained by government agencies. It lists specifications and prescribes minimum requirements of purity for an appropriate grade of food chemical.

FDA : Food and Drug Administration. A regulatory body and branch of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare of the U.S. Federal Government. Issues regulations governing the manufacture and use of flavors in food. Health Canada, the department which administers the Food and Drugs Acts & Regulations, is the Canadian equivalent to the FDA.

Food and Drug Act and Regulations: the set of rules by which the Canadian food industry is regulated by Health Canada.

FEMA-Flavor and Extract Manufacturing Association: trade association, promotes the safety evaluation, regulation and industrial development of the flavor industry.

FEMA GRAS: a designation which means that an ingredient has been designated as generally recognized as safe by an independent panel of experts for use in flavors.

Filtration: a process of transporting a liquid flavor through a substance which separates insoluble particles.

Fine Chemicals: a superior aromachemicals, pure and excellent quality for use in flavors.

Fixative: a low volatile material which retards evaporation of volatile substances when both of these materials are in common solution.

Flammable Materials: the characteristic which describes a chemical’s ability to catch on fire.

Flash Point: the temperature at which a substance will burst into flames in the presence of a source of ignition, a spark, open flame, static electricity, etc. Always indicated for shipment purposes.

Flat: carbonated product that has lost its carbonation. Drop in the flavor perception.

Flavor (Flavour): a combination of odor and taste; total sensory experience.

Flavor Base: a mixture of concentrated flavor and other ingredients.

Flavor Chemist (Flavorist): a technical person in the flavor field who combines art and science to create finished flavors from basic aroma chemicals and essential oils.

Flavor Profile: the total character of a flavor as expressed in predetermined descriptors by a trained panel.

Flavor House: a term which applies to the company that produces flavors (e.g. - Occidental Flavors Inc.).

Flocculation: a process of forming larger, denser particles from smaller particles, used to clarify a liquid.

Floral: reminiscent of a flower. Term used in a flavor descriptor’s vocabulary.

Fluid Extract: a liquid extract prepared from dilution of a solid extract.

Fluid Bed Dryer: a device to dry wet solids by suspending them in a blast of heated air rising vertically from the bottom of a dryer. Also, can be used in agglomeration of powders.

Fold: the strength of a flavoring material’s concentration expressed as a multiple of a standard.

Food Additive: any substance the intended use of which results in being a food component.

Food Grade: any substance the intended use of which results in its becoming a component of food. Edible and safe, test and purity specifications by which Food Chemical Codex prescribes its monographs.

Formula: a proprietary compound that constitutes a flavor, also called flavor formulation and flavor recipe.

Fragrance: a descriptive odor profile, positive aroma of flavor product.

Fragrant: description of pleasant smelling aromatic food items.

Freeze drying: a concentration process by which water is removed from a substance by sublimation under frozen conditions.

Fresh notes: in flavor, a descriptor to identify lighter volatiles that evaporate with time due to the aging action.

Fried Notes: in flavor, an attribute to that of heated fat with all compounds and types of products which form in the food by this action.

Fructose: monosaccharide found in fruit, honey. Formed in invert sugar from sucrose with acid catalyst. Mirror image of Dextrose. Possesses sweeter perception.

Fruit Juice Concentrate: product derived when water is removed from fruit juice yielding a thicker liquid product. Usually kept frozen and used extensively in beverage industry.

Fruity: the descriptive terminology that describes flavors typical of fruit.

Full Bodied: terminology which indicates that a product has a good degree of aroma, taste impact and overall roundness of flavor profile.

G

Gel: a textured structure in food, formed by different gums by purpose to give integrity to a product.

Glycerin: a water soluble solvent.

GMP: Good Manufacturing Practice. Guidelines for all aspects of food operation.

Grades: the grade of a chemical rating of its purity. Food grade and Pharmaceutical Grade (USP) are common ratings for use in flavors.

GRAS: Generally Recognized As Safe.

Grassy: a description of green grassy notes in flavor reminiscent of freshly cut grass.

Green: description of unripened fruit notes.

Green Tea: leaves from tea plant (Camellia Sinensis) that have not gone through the fermentation process.

Grilled Flavor: distinctive flavor from food that has been cooked on a grill or under a broiler.

Gums: thickeners used by the food industry to achieve a desirable texture for a product.

H

Hardness: the amount of dissolved minerals in water like calcium, magnesium, etc.

Harsh: terminology for a not well rounded flavor.

Hazardous Materials: chemicals and other ingredients used and approved for flavor use, but in concentrated form present some hazard of being corrosive, flammable, or obnoxious in smell.

Health Foods: products that promote their positive effect on health and nutrition.

Heavy: descriptive term which means the flavor is predominant in the background and not in the foreground profile.

Hedonic Scale: in sensory evaluation, measures like and dislike of a product.

Herb: aromatic leaves of plants used in food preparation.

Herbaceous: flavor profile typical of the herb.

Herbal Tea: blend of herbs without actual tea in it with some health related properties.

Homogenizer: equipment which reduces the size of liquid droplets and distributes them evenly in a second immiscible liquid, usually water.

Honey-like: very sweet and heavy flavor character.

Household Extract: a diluted flavor designed for use in the home.

Hue: type of color which is attributed to a certain visual experience.

Humectant: an ingredient which enables a food system to absorb and retain moisture.

Hydration: the process of taking up water.

Hydrocolloid: food polymers from plant or animal origin that when combined with water form thickening and gelling matrices.

Hydrolyzed Vegetable (Plant) Protein (HVP): protein derived from botanical source and exposed to physical, chemical or enzymatic means so as to reduce these proteins to simple aminoacids soluble in water and possessing flavor enhancing properties.

Hydrophilic: ability to mix with water.

Hydrophobic: inability to mix with water and is oil soluble. I

Immiscibility (Immiscible Liquids): incapable of mixing or attaining homogeneity, as in oil and water.

Impact: the time oriented degree of perception.

High impact - immediate recognition Low impact - less defined character or less recognizable nuance of flavor. IOFI: International Organization of Flavor Industries, Geneva, Switzerland.

IQF: Individually Quick Frozen; a method by which a food product is quickly frozen with all its quality attributes.

Infusion: an aqueous solution obtained by steeping a substance in water without high heat and then straining.

Invert Sugar: a sucrose syrup heated and acid catalyzed to form a glucose and fructose combination.

Isolate: a chemical obtained from a natural source and is a pure principle component of this source material.

ISO 9000: a system of procedures, rules, certifications, regulations and standards used by a company to be recognized in the world as a quality producer. J

Jammy: descriptive character for sweet flavor associated with fruit jams.

Juicy: the characteristic aroma and taste describing fruit flavor. K

Kola Nut: a botanical material used in cola type flavors. L

Liqueur: a sweetened alcoholic beverage (like brandy) flavored with fruit, spices, nuts, herbs, or seeds.

Liquor: a liquid, distilled alcoholic beverage. M

Maceration: the process of steeping or soaking botanical material in a solvent for the purpose of extraction.

Maillard Reaction: flavor production by non-enzymatic browning in food. Proceeds mainly from reactions of reducing sugars with amines, amino acids, peptides and proteins.

Marinade: a liquid made from variable materials to add a flavor to meat, vegetable, fruit or fish to improve eating quality of food.

Masking Agent: an ingredient capable of covering or improving an unpleasant odor or taste in food.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS): a document which itemizes the crucial data of a material.

Mellow: a flavor profile that is rounded, smooth, balanced, and well aged.

Menstruum: the medium in which a substance is dissolved; solvent plus solute.

Middle Note or Main Note: the main characteristic of a flavor. The character left after the top note is gone.

Miscible: the ability of two or more liquids to mix together.

Modified Food Starch: alteration of a starch molecule to change its attributes in a given manner to improve functional property and viscosity.

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): a crystalline salt C5H8O4NaN, an amino acid used to enhance the flavor of food -- abbreviation MSG

Mouthfeel: a sensory attribute to a physical character of food.

N

Natural and Artificial Flavor: a flavor containing both natural and artificial flavor ingredients.

Natural Flavor: a flavor, the components of which are derived from the natural sources such as essential oils, botanical materials, fruits, etc.

Nature Identical: ingredient with the same chemical structure as the natural ingredient, but not from a natural source. Not recognized as a regulatory category in the U.S. or Canada.

NFB: natural flavor blend (name of the fruit) type. This is a common description in Canada for flavors containing naturally derived materials.

Non-nutritive Sweetener: substances derived synthetically or naturally which impart a real or perceived sweetness but contributes little in terms of nutritional value because of its non-caloric attributes and low usage.

Nutraceutical: a term that describes products which are a combination of foods, drugs, or some other functional components.

O

Odor: the quality of a substance which affects the sense of smell.

Oleoresin: solvent-free extractive from spices and other plants containing the volatile and non-volatile flavor components.

Opacity (Opaque): the physical state of a flavor or drink, which does not allow any light to pass through.

Organic Compounds: those chemical structures which contain a carbon molecule.

Organic Foods: food items produced without the employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, pesticides, or with use of any agricultural chemicals.

Organoleptic: being, affecting, or relating to qualities (as taste, color, odor, and feel) of a flavor or food that stimulate the sense organs as opposed to the physical and chemical properties.

Oxidized: a usually negative descriptive term that often characterizes off-notes of citrus flavors.

P

Palatable: pleasing, having an agreeable flavor.

Palate: the roof of the mouth.

Panel Test: objective sensory evaluation of food or flavor to determine acceptability, difference and/or similarity and sometimes identity.

Peely: referring to citrus peel character.

Percolation: a process of extracting the soluble constituents of a substance by slow stream of solvent.

pH: a scale measuring acidity or alkalinity of a product.

Pheromone: a hormone-like substance that can be detected at extremely low levels in the air.

Potentiator: a product similar to an enhancer, but performs at a lower usage level (i.e., sodium inosinate).

Preservative: an additive used to protect against decay, discoloration, or spoilage of food.

Process Flavor: a flavor derived by heating a mixture of ingredients under controlled conditions to obtain needed profile.

Propylene Glycol: a solvent and carrier in flavor.

Q

Quality Control Lab: a laboratory in a manufacturing facility held responsible for assessing the quality of raw material before production and quality of flavor after production against specified standards. R

Recipe: the formula for making the finished product.

Redistilled (Rectified) Oil: oils that have undergone a second distillation to remove undesirable fraction and become cleaner in top notes.

Refractometer: an instrument to measure the refractive index of solutions. Related to Brix in simple solutions.

Resinoid: an exudate of plant material with flavor and odor value.

Rheology: the study of flow and texture of food.

Ripe: description related to fruit flavor.

Roasted Notes: having the characteristic flavor profile of something that has been roasted (i.e., coffee, steak).

Round: a flavor profile where each note is in good balance.

S

Saturation: organoleptically the point at which a person can no longer taste or smell different tastes or odors.

Savory: food products with salt and spice added.

Scoville Units: an organoleptic measurement used to describe the intensity of capsicum “heat” by threshold dilution.

Seasoning: a flavoring material, usually salt and spices, used to improve the flavor of food and beverage.

Sesquiterpenes: a class of terpenes found in the higher boiling fractions of many of the essential oils.

Sesquiterpeneless Oil: an essential oil, like citrus, in which all terpene and sesquiterpene fractions have been removed.

Sensation: a feeling or impression in the mouth.

Sensory Evaluation: the process of tasting and using the senses in a scientific and documented manner.

Shelf Life: the stability of food or flavor under specific conditions of storage.

Sharp: an odor profile with stinging or irritating sensation.

Smooth: a flavor profile with balanced notes.

Solid Extract: concentrate of botanical extractive standardized material.

Solvent: liquid capable of dissolving flavor materials.

Specification Sheet: a document which itemizes pertinent information about a flavor.

Spice: any of the various aromatic vegetable products whose sole function is to season or flavor foods.

Spray Drying: a process by which a liquid flavor is dispersed by spraying into a stream of heated air and recovering the dry product.

Stabilizers: any mixture of gums used to maintain the functional stability of food product.

Strength: the intensity or concentration of a flavor. The higher the strength, the lower the usage level.

T

Tart: sour or acid; the perception of the taste buds to an acidic condition.

Terpeneless Essential Oils: concentrated essential oils from which terpenes are removed making oils more water soluble.

Terpenes: hydrocarbons in essential oils which provide bulk, but add little to the flavor of oil.

Trow: the ratio of syrup to water in bottling the finished drink.

Tincture: an alcoholic extract of botanical materials.

Top Note: the first note perceived when a flavor is smelled, usually is relatively volatile and suggests identity.

True Fruit Extract: a flavor derived entirely by physical processing from the fruit bearing the characteristic name. U

Up Type Drink: a lemon and lime flavored carbonated beverage.

Usage Level (Rate): the level of flavor required to produce the desired effect in the finish product.

USP: United States pharmacopea; a compendium which sets forth standards of purity, quality and strength for drugs and some flavoring materials.

V

Vanilla Extract: a flavorant made from the vanilla bean.

Vanillin: a flavorant resembling vanilla made by synthetic method. W

Washed Oil: the by-product of a process which contains most of the terpenes from the essential oil.

Washing Process: a process of separating terpenes from an oil.

Woody: description for flavor notes with characteristics that of taste and odor of wood bark or chips.

WONF: an acronym for “With Other Natural Flavors”. The other natural flavors are not derived from the characterizing source and are complimentary to the basic natural flavor. Term used in the U.S. (see NFB for Canada). X

Xanthan Gum: a gum, derived from microbial fermentation to provide an increase in viscosity or gel formation in foods and syrups.

Y

Yogurt: a milk product fermented with probiotic bacteria.

Yucca Extract: a foaming agent obtained from the yucca plant for use in beverages.

Z

Zest: the outer peel of citrus fruit.