Are flavors harmful?
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: Which flavors did you have breakfast this morning?
Dr. Harald Hahn: I ate fresh rolls with strawberry jam. In the jam, however, were only flavors from nature in it, it was homemade.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: So you can avoid the lab aromas ...
Dr. Harald Hahn: That's not necessary in this case. Strawberry jam from the supermarket must not contain added aromas, the strawberry flavor should be natural.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: Different with strawberry yoghurt. That's where the fruit taste comes from the lab.
Dr. Harald Hahn: That's right. Worldwide strawberry production would not be enough to cover the demand for fruit for yoghurt. And he would be much more expensive. In a cup, therefore, hardly more than 3.5 percent stuck fruit or fruit preparation, which corresponds to a medium-sized strawberry. The rest are done by the flavorings. Every customer can read that on the mug.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: The yogurt is bought anyway.
Dr. Harald Hahn: Most consumers are interested in the fact that they can buy a good-tasting, cheap product. In this respect, they accept that there are hardly any real berries in the yoghurt - the buying behavior of the consumers is decisive.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: Surveys show that most people rigorously reject additives and flavorings. Nevertheless, there are more and more flavored foods.
Dr. Harald Hahn: It is a natural urge of man to reach for what tastes good and intense. Especially children want this strong taste experience.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: And soon no longer know how a real apple tastes ...
Dr. Harald Hahn: That may be a bit exaggerated. But thanks to the many aromatic substances, our taste buds dull, we always need more intense taste impressions. Unfortunately, this is the reason for the discrimination. At some point, even the most bombastic strawberry taste is just tasteless.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: What advantage do flavors have then?
Dr. Harald Hahn: They enable an ever-increasing range of goods. And they are practical. Think of the chicken soup. Our grandmothers stood for hours at the stove and cooked a chicken. Now we open a tin; the soup is ready - and still tastes good. For this we have to accept that the taste does not come only from meat and vegetables.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: More and more flavors, because many consumers worry about their health.
Dr. Harald Hahn: There are flavors that are toxic from a certain amount, for example coumarin, the flavoring substance in Waldmeister. This may only be used in small quantities. Even the use of about a dozen artificial flavors that do not correspond to any role model in nature is strictly regulated because the body does not know them.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: And what about natural and nature-identical flavors? The latter also come from the lab. Are they questionable? Can the allergies trigger?
Dr. Harald Hahn: No, allergies trigger above all natural ingredients, for example, nuts, soy or kiwi. However, the EU wants to deal with the natural and nature-identical flavoring in the future differently. There will be a positive list of substances that are considered harmless. All others would be banned.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: Is there a flavor that you do not like at all?
Dr. Harald Hahn: In some apple spritzers is such an artificial, candy-like apple flavor, I do not like that. I really like vanilla flavor, for example in ice cream.
Flavoring Expert Dr. Harald Hahn is a food chemist and laboratory manager in the Chemical and Veterinary Examination Office Sigmaringen
How does "sunshine" taste?
Flavors are becoming more and more complex. The aroma producer Symrise in Holzminden does not just work on a cheese or tomato flavor; for a pasta sauce the taste of the Italian Taleggio cheese is mimicked or the sun-ripe flavor of the Corbarino tomato.
It is also more often about recreating the taste of a complete product, eg. Cheesecake or gingerbread. In the Christmas season, gingerbread yoghurt and, in the summer, cheesecake-flavored desserts can stand in the refrigerated shelves.
