Have you ever looked at the ingredient list of your favorite product and saw the terms “artificial flavors” or “natural flavors”? I know that I have seen these words. They can be found in foods ranging from sparkling water, to Doritos. You may be wondering if you should avoid them. Let’s look at the background of natural and artificial flavors.
What are natural and artificial flavors?
Natural flavors are from plants or animals which are meant for flavor, not nutritional value.
Artificial flavors are originally derived from man-made chemicals which are meant for flavor, not nutritional value.
What are flavors?
So what are flavors exactly? Flavors are not only tasted, but include all our senses like our vision, touch, and smell.
Brief History of Artificial and Natural Flavors
According to the Flavor and Extract Manufacturer Industry (FEMA), flavors (not “natural” or “artificial”) have been around for thousands of years. Nadia Berenstein, a PhD candidate, who successfully wrote about the history of artificial flavors for her dissertation, noted that artificial flavors may have appeared at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London in 1851. Visitors may have sampled artificially flavored candies ranging from pineapple to grape.
One of the most popular artificial flavors discovered is vanillin (a flavor component of vanilla). This flavor was discovered in the 19th century after scientists crystallized it from vanilla extract and synthesized it from pine bark.
Fast forward to the early 20th century. Due to public concern over food safety, the Pure Food Act (1906) was established and required food manufacturers to label “genuine” and “imitation” flavors.
In the 1970s, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) defined natural and artificial flavors. As mentioned above, artificial flavors may be derived from synthetic chemicals, whereas natural flavors may come from natural sources.
What are the similarities?
Natural and synthetic flavors are both made up of chemicals (everything has chemicals). These flavors are used in a variety of products ranging from flavored water, to chips. They are both used as flavors and lack nutritional value. If we look at these flavors under a microscope, they may look chemically similar, like natural and synthetic vanilla (1).
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and the FDA, natural flavors and synthetic flavors may be used together in a lab to create a flavor. For instance, incidental additives may be used in natural and synthetic flavors and derived from either source. Synthetic flavors may also consist of natural flavors.
What are the differences?
Artificial flavors may be cheaper, less environmentally damaging, and contain fewer chemicals than natural flavors. For example, natural vanilla is difficult to harvest due to its origin and climate. It may be cheaper and easier to make the synthetic flavor in the lab instead of collecting vanilla orchids. However, most artificial flavors may be from petroleum or other inedible items, so it may still negatively impact the environment (2). Also, natural flavors may consist of hundreds of different chemicals compared to artificial flavors.
How is the safety regulated?
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act would require these flavors to be tested to determine safety for human consumption. For example, the expert panel working for the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) may conduct safety tests. They may share their findings with the Federal Drugs and Food Administration (FDA) to review their results. After these flavors meet safety standards, they are added to the list of generally recognized as safe food additives.
Are Artificial Flavors or Natural Flavors Harmful?
In the United States, flavors must be reviewed and deemed safe before hitting the shelves, but we’ll check it out and discuss here.
Artificial Flavors
Butter flavor (diacetyl)
You may have heard that diacetyl (butter flavoring) causes “popcorn workers’ lungs.” This claim comes from a study done at select factories producing microwave popcorn (3). The results indicated that breathing in large amounts of this product may contribute to this condition (3). However, this substance is considered safe to ingest since a small amount is allowed in the final product (much smaller than the amount one could breath in).
Isoeugenol
Isoeugenol is one of the chemicals that can be used to make vanillin. A report suggests that high doses of isoeugenol flavoring may contribute to liver cancer in some rodents (4). However, FEMA suggests that the contributing factor could be the high doses. Also, some rats were more likely to develop tumors. Since there are lower levels of this flavor in food, it’s also considered safe for human consumption.
*It is important to note that the above findings can be true when speaking about vitamins, minerals, and other traditionally “healthy” or “super” foods. Ingesting too much of anything is going to have implications that may not be positive on the human body. Moderation is key, friends!
Removal of seven synthetic flavorings due to safety concerns
There was an instance where synthetic flavors were banned due to concern from organizations about safety. For example, petitions were submitted to the FDA from organizations like the Breast Cancer Fund and EWG to remove seven flavors from the food supply due to potential health risks. Most of the substances caused cancer in rodents at very high doses.
The seven:
synthetically-derived benzophenone
ethyl acrylate
eugenyl methyl ether (methyl eugenol)
myrcene
pulegone
pyridine
and the seventh (unlisted) had not been used in the industry anyway
These additives were consumed at very high doses which may have contributed to the findings. It’s important to note that people would consume small amounts which may possess minimal risk. Despite this information, the FDA decided to remove them because of the Delaney Clause, which “…prohibits the approval of an additive if it is found to induce cancer when ingested by people or animals, or if it is found, after tests which are appropriate for the evaluation of the safety of food additives, to induce cancer in people or animals”.
Natural Flavors
Castoreum (natural vanilla flavoring)
Castoreum is one of the products used to mimic natural vanilla flavoring. If you don’t know, it may come from the secretion of beaver anal glands. A safety assessment of this ingredient revealed that this flavor was safe to eat at the intended levels (5). This type of flavoring isn’t used often anymore since it’s expensive to extract castoreum from a beaver… I’m sure you can imagine.
Methyl Anthranilate (MANT) (grape flavor)
This substance is used for grape flavor. There’s a lack of evidence that this flavor is harmful at various amounts in animal studies, so it’s recognized as safe to eat (6). MANT is currently produced by petroleum based processes. In an effort to make this substance more sustainable, metabolically engineered bacteria strains have been used to instead make the flavor (14), fermenting it from glucose. It’s promising, and a hopeful alternative on the horizon!
Limonene (lemon flavor)
Limonene (lemon flavor) is used in many products ranging from candies and desserts. If it’s used on the skin in high amounts, it may cause skin irritation (7). However, as a food additive, it’s considered safe (8). Most limonene is extracted from the rinds of citrus fruits (15).
Lack of transparency and Allergies
Companies don’t have to share information about the ingredients in their natural or artificial flavors, so allergies may be a concern. However, the manufacturers are required to indicate if an ingredient comes from any of the common 8 allergens. The common allergens are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.
If you have an allergy, or follow a strict diet that is not one of the eight major allergens, please contact the food manufacturer.
May be present in foods with too much fat, sodium, sugar, and calories
Many foods containing natural and artificial ingredients include chips, ice cream, soda, and candy. Fast food and junk food typically have many calories, sodium, sugar, and fat. Overeating these types of foods could increase your risk of developing conditions such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes (9,10,11,12,13). It’s best to reduce your consumption of these types of food to reduce your risk of developing these conditions.
So are either type of flavors harmful?
Based on this information, most of the harmful health effects are from large consumption of these flavors in these studies – which would be DIFFICULT for a human to consume daily when eating a balanced diet, but not impossible. There may also be a lack of information about specific ingredients on the labels, and the risk of potential allergies. Also, some artificial and natural flavors may be present in unhealthy foods. Overall, these types of flavors may lack harm (research is evolving) in the food supply if eaten in moderation and depending on your health needs.
Ways to avoid natural and artificial flavors
If you’re concerned about natural and artificial flavors, here are some ways you could reduce your exposure. You could turn around the label to look for foods without natural and artificial flavors, reduce the number of processed foods, and prepare and buy most foods from FRESH natural ingredients.
Main takeaways
So, should you avoid natural and artificial flavors? If you have an allergy or follow a strict diet, it’s best to use caution and contact the food manufacturer (if necessary). Aside from these concerns, I would say that these types of flavor may be fine in moderation, but it’s best to reduce your intake by sticking to whole foods.
This post was co-written by aspiring dietitian, Nancy V.
References
- Vijayalakshmi, S., Disalva, X., Srivastava, C., & Arun, A. (2019). Vanilla-natural vs artificial: A Review. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology, 12(6), 3068. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-360x.2019.00520.1
- Schwab, W., Davidovich-Rikanati, R., & Lewinsohn, E. (2008). Biosynthesis of plant-derived flavor compounds. The Plant Journal, 54(4), 712–732. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313x.2008.03446.x
- Clark, Stephanie, and Carl K. Winter. “Diacetyl in Foods: A Review of Safety and Sensory Characteristics.” Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, vol. 14, no. 5, 2015, pp. 634–643., doi:10.1111/1541-4337.12150.
- Bristol, D.W., et al. National Institute of Health Public Health Service, 2010, NTP Technical Report on the Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of Isoeugenol (CAS No. 97-54-1) in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Gavage Studies), ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/htdocs/lt_rpts/tr551.pdf.
- Burdock, G. A. “Safety Assessment of Castoreum Extract as a Food Ingredient.” International Journal of Toxicology, vol. 26, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2007, pp. 51–55., doi:10.1080/10915810601120145.
- Pronk, Ir M.E.J, and GJA Speijers. “Anthranilate Derivatives.” Centre for Substances and Integrated Risk Assessment, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.
- Kim, Young Woo, et al. “Safety Evaluation and Risk Assessment OFD-Limonene.” Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, vol. 16, no. 1, 2013, pp. 17–38., doi:10.1080/10937404.2013.769418.
- “Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED).” United States Environmental Protection Agency , 1994.
- Bahadoran, Zahra, et al. “Fast Food Pattern and Cardiometabolic Disorders: A Review of Current Studies.” Health Promotion Perspectives, vol. 5, no. 4, 2015, pp. 231–240., doi:10.15171/hpp.2015.028.
- Malik, Vasanti S, et al. “Intake of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Weight Gain: A Systematic Review.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 84, no. 2, 1 Aug. 2006, pp. 274–288., doi:10.1093/ajcn/84.2.274.
- Strazzullo, P., et al. “Salt Intake, Stroke, and Cardiovascular Disease: Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.” BMJ, vol. 339, no. nov24 1, 24 Nov. 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4567.
- Hall, Kevin D., et al. “Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of AD Libitum Food Intake.” Cell Metabolism, vol. 30, no. 1, 2 July 2019, doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008.
- Phillips, Catherine M., et al. “High Dietary Saturated Fat Intake Accentuates Obesity Risk Associated with the Fat Mass and Obesity–Associated Gene in Adults.” The Journal of Nutrition, vol. 142, no. 5, 28 Mar. 2012, pp. 824–831., doi:10.3945/jn.111.153460.
- Luo, Zi Wei, Jae Sung Cho, and Sang Yup Lee. “Microbial production of methyl anthranilate, a grape flavor compound.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116.22 (2019): 10749-10756.
- Chenhao Sun, Constantinos Theodoropoulos, Nigel S. Scrutton, Techno-economic assessment of microbial limonene production, Bioresource Technology, Volume 300, 2020, 122666, ISSN 0960-8524, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2019.122666.
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