According to the saying, appetite comes with eating. And they awaken the desire to taste the dish not only for its attractive appearance, but also for its incredible aroma. However, only fresh food smells tempting; after processing and storage, the products lose their natural aroma and even taste. To restore these qualities to food, various additives or enhancers are used.
The industry began to develop the idea of using flavor enhancers since the early twentieth century. These additives are easy to dissolve in liquids because they are made in powder form. With the help of the amplifier, you can not only return the product's appetizing aroma and taste, but also soften the unwanted odor. For example, if the meat is windy, and the fish has passed into the "second grade" category.
Types of flavor and aroma enhancers
Today, amplifiers are used not only in the food industry to obtain crackers, chips, carbonated drinks, bouillon cubes and other products, but also directly in cafes and restaurants. As a rule, we are talking about fast food, artificial additives are cheaper than natural syrups, jams or vegetable broths, which is why they are used so often.
The greatest danger to human health is the amplifier E622 or potassium glutamate, E636 or maltol, E637 or ethylmaltol, Sudan.
A natural, artificial, or natural-identical enhancer can be selected to alter the characteristics of a product. Of these, natural supplements are the safest for human health. They are obtained by extraction, pressing or distillation from products of plant and animal origin. However, such dry powders are not economically viable to produce, and natural flavors are weaker than artificial ones.
Harm of flavor and aroma enhancers
Naturally identical supplements are also obtained from natural ingredients, but they are obtained artificially. Therefore, it cannot be argued that such enhancers can harm the body. While completely artificial amplifiers are synthesized chemically, there are no analogues of such additives in nature.
It is recommended to eat foods, the composition of which has been enriched only with guaranteed safe enhancers. Artificial amplifiers cannot be used in the nutrition of pregnant women, lactating women, children. According to modern legislation, synthetic additives cannot be used for the production of baby food, bread, tea, milk, coffee and other beverages. To be sure of this, be sure to study the packaging of the product before purchasing it.
One of the popular additives is monosodium glutamate, this flavor enhancer excites the nervous system, negatively affects the retina. Frequent consumption of glutamate leads to loss of taste sensitivity.
For enhancers of taste and aroma, a special classification has been created with a code starting with the letter E. Of the most common additives in our country, only six are allowed.
