Custom Flavors is an industry-leading flavor developer and manufacturer based in San Clemente, California. Since 2005, Custom Flavors has been committed to providing an extensive variety of flavors and top-tier customer service. Today, the company boasts a library of more than 20,000 unique flavors and flavor combinations, a state-of-the-art GC/MS, and a dedicated team of technical experts to answer questions and ensure every client gets the precise flavor system they need for their product.
Custom Flavors offers a vast selection of natural flavors. Choosing natural flavors has numerous benefits, such as meeting consumer demand for high quality, healthy foods and beverages. To get the greatest benefit from using natural flavors, it’s important to understand what they are, the different types of natural flavors, and why they’re so popular now.
Understanding Flavor as a Sensory Experience
Flavor is more than just taste; it’s an entire sensory experience. The term “flavor” refers to the unique sensation received when consuming a food or drink. This sensation comes from three sources:
- Taste
- Scent
- Trigeminal responses
Taste is how a substance’s unique combination of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami notes are perceived by taste receptors in the mouth and throat. Scent is how its chemical compounds are perceived by olfactory neurons in the nasal cavity. Trigeminal responses are sensory reactions from the trigeminal nerves, two long nerves that run along both sides of the head. These nerves perceive pain, temperature, and touch.
Imagine drinking a lime slushy on a hot day. As your tongue tastes its tangy, sour notes, your nose enhances the experience by picking up its zesty citrus notes. Rounding out the picture, your trigeminal nerves feel its cold impact, giving you a refreshing sense of satisfaction.
Natural vs. Artificial Flavors
So what does it mean to say a flavor is natural vs. artificial? Exactly what you might imagine. A natural flavor means that the flavoring compounds are derived from plant and animal sources. These sources could be anything: vegetables, spices, herbs, fruits, meats, eggs, or dairy. In contrast, artificial flavors incorporate flavor compounds made by scientists in a lab. Artificial flavors aim to imitate the real taste of certain foods, but are not derived directly from those foods.
Neither natural nor artificial flavor provide any nutritional value, and both are available as non-GMO.
Types of Natural Flavors
Natural Flavor
A natural flavor is a flavor created exclusively through compounds found in the source. For example, Natural Banana Flavor contains only compounds derived from bananas.
Natural Flavor with Other Natural Flavors
When a natural flavor is labeled to be made “with other natural flavors,” also known as “WONF,” it contains compounds from its source as well as compounds from other natural sources that reinforce, resemble, or otherwise support its flavor. For example, Natural Banana Flavor WONF may be enhanced by natural vanilla flavor notes.
Natural Type Flavor
A natural type flavor contains all natural compounds, but none of them are derived from the named “source.” For example, strawberry flavor may be reproduced through natural flavoring from other berries. This would be considered a Natural Strawberry Type Flavor.
Natural Type Flavors are also commonly used when creating “fantasy” flavor profiles, flavors that don’t actually exist in nature. For example, many of us are familiar with the flavor of pink bubble gum, which is a combination of banana, cherry, and pineapple. Because pink bubble gum does not exist as a source, it is only naturally offered as a Natural Pink Bubble Gum Type Flavor.
Natural and Artificial Flavor
Natural flavors are also sometimes combined with artificial flavor compounds to create a well-rounded flavor experience.
Why are Natural Flavors so Popular Now?
As more consumers identify health, wellness, and sustainability as factors that influence their purchasing decisions, the demand for products made with natural flavoring will continue to rise. In 2021, the global natural flavors and fragrances market was valued at USD 9.15 billion. That figure is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3% from 2022 to 2030.
There are a few ways food and beverage manufacturers can respond to this increasing consumer preference. One is to redevelop products that currently use artificial flavors to instead use natural flavoring. This is something Custom Flavors has done for many of their clients. Another strategy is for the manufacturer to diversify their product line, offering both artificially and naturally flavored options. Manufacturers can also use this focus as an opportunity to launch a new product or line that features all-natural flavoring.
Keep It Tasty and Simple with Natural Flavoring
Choosing natural flavors is a great way to connect with today’s consumer and ensure that your product’s ingredient list is as simple as possible. But working with natural flavors isn’t always the same as working with artificial flavors, so if this is new territory for your brand—or if you want to use them more effectively—partner with an expert who can help you get the most out of natural flavoring.
Interested in learning more about natural flavors and connecting with a team who can answer all your questions? Visit Custom Flavors’ website today.