Food flavorings

S elon le Robert, quality "especially when speaking of elaborate materials, of commercialized productions, is what makes a thing more recommendable with respect to human use or taste than another of the same kind".

If we transpose this very general definition to food, we can say that a food will be of quality if it is able to meet the needs of the organism, without harming the health of the individual ingesting it, by providing maximum satisfaction and ensuring service (rapid preparation, preservation). It must therefore satisfy the four S's: Health and Safety, corresponding to the satisfaction of implicit needs; Taste and Service, corresponding to the satisfaction of explicit needs.

For the consumer, quality is primarily a question of the organoleptic characteristics that make a foodstuff more or less pleasant to consume. Two foods may have the same nutritional value and safety, or offer the same service, but while one will be considered inferior in quality, the other will be appreciated on the basis of the product's organoleptic qualities.

Acceptability depends on the product's appearance, color, smell, taste, flavor and texture.

Odor is the olfactory sensation perceived when volatile molecules reach olfactory receptors via the direct nasal pathway; this notion has been extended to the characteristics responsible for this sensation.

Taste, or flavor, corresponds to the set of common gustatory and chemical sensations perceived when a food, drink or other product is placed in the oral cavity, and to the properties of the products that provoke these sensations. Taste receptors are capable of recognizing four basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour and bitter; more recently, umami taste has been added, dependent on the presence of enhancers such as glutamate.

Aroma is linked to the sensations perceived by the olfactory organ via the retronasal route when a food is taken into the mouth, chewed or swallowed and, as in the previous cases, to the properties of the products responsible for this sensation. However, the term aroma(s) is also used to designate one or more flavoring substances; for example, strawberry aroma is used instead of strawberry flavoring substances.

Flavor is the integrated sensation perceived by the olfactory organ, taste buds and oral cavity during consumption or tasting of a product.

From a legal point of view (decree of April 11, 1991), "a flavoring is defined as any product or substance which, being intended to be added to foodstuffs to give them...