FOOD INTOLERANCE NETWORK FACTSHEET
Flavours and Flavour Enhancers:
natural or artificial, what's the difference?
Summary
·
under
new labelling regulations, it is not possible to distinguish between artificial
and natural flavours
·
this
doesn’t matter because they’re all made of the same chemicals in giant chemical
factories and chemically there is little difference
·
the
problem with adding flavours made in factories – whether natural or artificial
- is the size of the dose because it is possible to get much higher doses than
you would in nature
·
flavour
additives are not the same as flavour enhancers
·
children
and adults who are affected by additives such as artificial colours and natural
chemicals such as salicylates are likely to be affected by high doses of
artificial flavours. You can choose to avoid all strong flavours, or choose to
avoid all added flavours except vanilla.
Introduction
Consumers who read food
labels are often surprised to see that there are added ‘flavours’ in most
products. If, like many people, you think natural flavours are good and
artificial flavours are bad, you need to know more about these additives.
Why flavours are added to processed foods
Flavours are used in
processed food because overprocessing destroys flavour. When you drink freshly
made juice, it needs no added flavours. But by the time apple juice, for
example, has been centrifuged, pasteurised, filtered, clarified and
cold-stabilised, much of the original flavour has been lost.
The labelling rules have changed
Until recently, Australian food
labels followed the European tradition of describing flavours as natural,
artificial or nature identical. For example, a strawberry-flavoured yoghurt
could contain • natural flavouring substances whether derived from strawberries
or not • a nature identical flavouring substance than has been synthesised, but
is chemically identical to a substance found in nature, or • an artificial
flavour, that has been synthesised and has not yet been identified in any
natural product. While you can still find these terms on some product labels in
Australian supermarkets, the labelling regulations changed in 2002, so
technically, the term ‘natural flavours’ does not now comply with the code.
Flavours are secret
Under the new regulations,
flavours must be declared in the ingredient list as either ‘flavour’ or
‘flavouring’, or a specific name or description of the flavouring such as
‘vanilla’. There’s no mention of natural or artificial, and although the food
manufacturers know whether they are using artificial flavouring substances, the
consumer does not. Should you be concerned?
The fact is that most
processed foods contain flavouring additives that have been made in giant
chemical factories. There are more than two thousand approved flavouring
chemicals that don’t have to be described on food labels because they are
considered to be closely guarded trade secrets. When the word ‘flavours’
appears on an ingredient list, it means those flavours have been man-made in a
laboratory even if this could be described as natural by the definition above.
Natural flavours, nature identical flavours and artificial flavours could
contain exactly the same chemicals although consumers can't tell what's in them
because of the secrecy surrounding flavour formulas. As author Eric Schlosser
says in his bestselling book Fast Food Nation: ‘Natural and artificial flavours
are now manufactured at the same chemical plants, places that few people would
associate with Mother Nature. Calling any of these flavours “natural” requires
a flexible attitude toward the English language and a fair amount of irony.’
If you studied high school
chemistry, you probably made artificial banana flavour as part of the
curriculum. It’s done by combining amyl alcohol and acetic acid in the
laboratory using sulphuric acid as a catalyst and not a banana in sight. You
will probably remember the result, a chemical called amyl acetate that smells
surprisingly like ripe bananas - because it’s the dominant flavour chemical in
bananas. If a solvent is used to extract this chemical from bananas, the
resulting amyl acetate is then regarded as a natural flavour, despite being the
same chemical as the amyl acetate made without bananas. Other flavour chemicals
include ethyl propionate for a fruity flavour, cinnamic aldehyde for cinnamon,
diacetyl for butter (see box) and there are several thousand more.
|
Butter flavour and popcorn lung disease The butter flavour
diacetyl – used in products such as microwave popcorn - has been linked to a
rare and deadly respiratory disease known as Popcorn Workers Lung. Its
victims include young, healthy, non-smoking flavouring industry workers who
have been exposed to vapours when diacetyl is heated. So far three workers
have died, and many are awaiting lung transplants. It has been known since 1989
that diacetyl vapour is irritating to throat and lungs and laboratory studies
in the 1990s showed that diacetyl vapours were highly toxic to laboratory
rats, with effects likened to ‘inhaling acid’ by scientists. At this stage,
no one knows whether consumers exposed to diacetyl fumes in their own homes
are at risk. Dr David Michaels, who heads the George Washington University
School of Public Health's Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy,
says that diacetyl was approved for food use based on studies that examined
consumption, not inhalation. "There is compelling evidence that
breathing diacetyl vapors causes lung disease and there is no evidence of a
safe exposure level,” says Michaels, who has asked the Food and Drug
Administration to remove diacetyl from the list of safe additives. |
Flavours and smells are
irretrievably linked because flavours are recognised mainly through the sense
of smell. That is why you may notice that your food loses its flavour when you
have a cold. You can test this for yourself by holding your nose while
consuming a food with a strong aroma such as chocolate or coffee - you will
have trouble identifying the characteristic chocolate or coffee flavour,
although you can still distinguish the basic flavour, such as sweet, sour,
salty or bitter. Up to ninety per cent of your perception of taste actually
comes from your sense of smell, so the flavour of a food can easily be changed
by keeping the same base flavour while altering the aroma, a technique often
used in processed foods. There can be hundreds of volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) - chemicals that are in a gaseous state at room temperature - involved
in a complex aroma. The giant chemical companies that make flavour additives
generally also make fragrances for perfumes, personal care and household
cleaning products.
Why flavours can affect your health
The first step to
understanding how flavour and fragrance additives can affect your health is to
realise that all foods consist of natural chemicals. For example, an apple
contains over 1000 natural flavouring chemicals, some of which are known to
cause health problems for some people in big enough doses. Eating is a chemical
balancing act. We have to balance the benefits of nutrients such as vitamins and
minerals against the side effects of natural pesticides and other chemicals
that may contribute to various conditions.
According to Schlosser, a
typical artificial strawberry flavour – in foods such as yoghurts - will
probably contain such chemicals as amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate,
anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid,
cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl,
dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl
cinnamate, ethyl haptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate, ethyl
methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate,
heliotropin, hydroxyphrenyl-2-butanone, alpha-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate,
isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl
anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate,
methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential
oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, rose, rum
ether, gamma-undecalactone, vanillin and solvent. Chemically, there isn’t
actually much difference between the list of chemicals in a real strawberry or
in an artificial strawberry flavour.
It’s the size of the dose that matters
The problem for the
consumer is not how the flavour additive is made, but the size of the dose
consumed. Because man-made flavours such as artificial strawberry are so cheap,
it is easy to add a lot more than you would ever eat in one serve of a natural
food. While few people are affected by the food chemicals in one strawberry,
when consumers - especially children - consume concentrated doses of some of
the chemicals above, and particularly if they consume them many times every day
in different foods, they can be affected in a variety of ways.
|
Effects induced by additives Health • headaches or
migraines • rashes (hives,
eczema, dermatitis, other itchy rashes) • stomach aches,
bloating, reflux, constipation, bedwetting, sneaky poos • asthma, frequent cough,
stuffy or runny nose • frequent colds, flu,
ear infections • joint pains, swelling
of the joints • heart palpitations,
fast heart beat, pseudo heart attack Behaviour • sleep disturbance
(difficulty falling asleep, frequent night waking, night terrors, restless
legs) • restlessness (loud
voice, irritable, easily distracted, demanding, easily bored) • irritability (touchy
or easily annoyed, loses temper, throws tantrums) • oppositional defiance
(temper outbursts, often says no, refuses requests, defies rules, angry) • inattention
(forgetful, disorganised, foggy brain, dreamy) • anxiety (lethargic,
depressed, panic attacks) • unhappiness (grizzly,
miserable, cries frequently) |
Are you sensitive to salicylates?
Among the flavours in strawberries
you can see a chemical called methyl salicylate. Salicylates - in most fruit,
some vegetables, herbs, spices and other plant products - are the some of the
chemicals most likely to affect sensitive consumers. When the use of man-made
flavour additives became widespread in the 1960s due to the burgeoning
popularity of processed food, Californian allergist Dr Benjamin Feingold
discovered that ‘allergy’ symptoms caused by these additives were actually
symptoms of salicylate sensitivity. Then chief of the Allergy Department at the
Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Dr Feingold was the first to report adverse health
effects of these additives in a medical journal. In his article entitled
‘Recognition of food additives as a cause of symptoms of allergy’, he included
the 1610 synthetic flavours and 502 natural flavours listed at that time.
In 1985, a comprehensive
analysis of the salicylate contents of foods showed that there were salicylates
in even more foods than Dr Feingold realised (see box). In general, the
stronger the flavour of a food, the higher the salicylates. Flavourings such as
vanilla are eaten in much smaller quantities than whole foods, so the amount of
salicylates in vanilla flavour as eaten in a product such as icecream is very
low, and much safer for some consumers than a strong fruit, mint, spicy or
herbal flavour.
|
Salicylate Contents of Foods Food mg
salicylate per 100gm Worcestershire Sauce 64.3 Mixed herbs, dry 55.6 Cinnamon powder 15.2 Peppermints, range up
to 7.6 Tomato sauce, range up
to 2.5 Orange 2.4 Vanilla essence 1.4 Strawberries 1.4 Pears, peeled 0.0 Source: A. Swain et al,
J Am Diet Assoc, 1985, 85(8):950-960 |
Parents are most likely to see
the effects of added flavours from children’s syrup medications, which can
contain extremely high levels of flavouring. One mother described how her
normally additive free two-year-old became ‘argumentative, rude, defiant,
violent, uncontrollable, and began waking in the night for up to 3 hours’ while
taking a course of antibiotic syrup for tonsillitis. Another recalled the
effect of a colour free flavoured pain reliever on her toddler: ‘he became
incredibly agitated, head banging, aggressive, thrashing ... inconsolable ...
we rushed to the doctor (because we were to hop on an international flight the
next day!) and he sent us off for urgent blood and urine tests. While waiting
for the tests about 3 hours later my son suddenly regained his composure and became
calm.’
Most people don’t realise they are affected because of the
30 minute rule
Confusion about the effects
of food additives is largely due to the time delay before effects become
obvious. Unlike peanut and other true food protein allergies which can occur
within minutes, reactions to food chemicals can occur up to three days later.
Salicylate research has shown that consumers are unlikely to identify the cause
of their symptoms unless the reaction occurs within 30 minutes.
|
Additives at a glance There are currently
over 2000 flavour additives and 400 additives that must be described by name
or number on labels. Of the non-flavour additives, about 60 have been linked
to health and behavioural effects. People vary in their sensitivity and although
colours are often associated with irritability, sulphites with asthma, and
ribonucleotides with rash, any additive can be associated with any side
effect. Flavours • over 2000 secret
man-made flavour additives that don’t have to be identified by name or number Flavour enhancers • glutamates (620-625;
MSG is 621) • nucleotides (627
disodium guanylate, 631 disodium inosinate, 635 ribonucleotides) • HVP, HPP and other
concentrated natural forms of glutamates Colours • artificial colours
and natural colour annatto (160b). Preservatives • sorbates (200-203),
benzoates (210-213), sulphites (220-228), propionates (280-282), nitrates and
nitrites (249-252) Synthetic antioxidants • antioxidants 310-312
(gallates), antioxidants 319-321 (TBHQ, BHA, BHT) |
Flavour enhancers are not the same as flavours
Do not confuse added
flavours with added flavour enhancers, another group of chemicals that occur
naturally but can be concentrated or created by processing. Glutamates are often found in tasty foods but
can be added in a concentrated form as MSG (monosodium glutamate), see box. As
with salicylates or any other chemicals, the more you eat, the more likely you
are to be affected. A few people are not affected at all, others are only
affected when they eat extremely high doses, and others are so sensitive they
will be affected even by small amounts. As a concentrate, MSG can easily be
added to any foods in much greater quantities than in nature. A study of 59
normal volunteers found all except one reacted to MSG added to home-made
chicken soup, with the most sensitive to the smallest amount (3 grams) and most
subjects reacting to higher doses. Although the doses of glutamates in natural
foods are tiny compared to added MSG, some sensitive consumers are affected by
them.
|
Glutamate Contents of Foods Food portion size mg glutamate per serve Chinese soup 1 bowl 5000.00 Tomato juice 1 cup 0.83 Mushrooms 1/4 cup 0.09
Parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp 0.05
Sources: H. Schaumberg et
al, Science, 1969, 163;826-82, U.S. Food and Drug Administration |
If you’ve ever wondered how
manufacturers can say ‘no artificial colours or flavours’ on products such as
flavoured noodles which contain MSG (listed as flavour enhancer 621), the answer
is that ‘flavours’ and ‘flavour enhancers’ are different classes of additives
according to food regulators, flavours being ‘intense preparations’ added to
impart taste and/or odour, whereas a flavour enhancer enhances the existing
taste.
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
was the first of the flavour enhancers. It was originally developed from a
kombu seaweed extract by a Japanese scientist in the early 1900s and launched
in the
Consumers are frequently
confused because manufacturers can hide sources of MSG in other ingredients.
For instance, all the following ingredients may contain high levels of
glutamates which don’t appear as MSG on the label: hydrolysed vegetable protein (HVP), vegetable
protein extract (derived from wheat, soy beans or other vegetables), hydrolysed plant protein (HPP), yeast
extract, vegetable extract, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and soy extract.
There are many ways of describing these on a label. If a delicious ‘all
natural’ spread, sauce, stock or seasoning seems to be made largely from soy
bean, wheat or vegetable protein of any description, you would have to suspect
that it has been broken down with acid in a laboratory to create free
glutamates.
The new flavour enhancers
In the 1990s, a new set of
flavour-enhancing chemicals called nucleotides were introduced. These additives
(disodium guanylate 627, disodium inosinate 631, and ribonucleotides 635, a
combination of the previous two) were developed to boost the flavour enhancing
effects of MSG by up to 15 times and, like MSG, are made in giant factories
where they are synthesised from yeasts and regarded as natural. They can appear in products labeled “No MSG”
although usually there is some natural form of MSG such as yeast extract
present. Since the introduction of nucleotide flavour enhancers, the Food
intolerance Network has received more adverse consumer reports about these
additives than any other, with some consumers complaining about ‘years of
hell’. Some people who have tolerated moderate amounts of MSG all their lives
can have dramatic reactions to ribonucleotides, with a variety of symptoms from
itchy skin rashes (Ribo Rash), swelling of the lips, tongue or eyes, anxiety,
heart palpitations, panic attacks, headaches, heartburn or muscle spasms to
sleep disturbance or behavioural disturbance in children. Effects can become
apparent any time from within minutes to 48 hours later several days later and
can last for up for a week or more, sometimes coming and going during that
time.
The 30 minute rule applies.
Consumers who have a reaction soon after eating are more likely to work out
what is affecting them. A woman who avoided MSG because of irritable bowel
symptoms wrote: ‘I found some corn chips that advertised “No MSG” and bought
them a few times before connecting them with a very uncomfortable feeling of
restlessness, agitation and panic, heart palpitations, hot flushes and a
"buzzing" sensation; I thought I was having a panic attack. Since recognising the link [with nucleotide
flavour enhancers] I bought the chips once more to test the idea that this was
the cause; after about 5 chips I started to feel the ‘buzzing’ and threw the
rest of the packet away.’
Because of the delayed
onset, some consumers have suffered from distressing symptoms for up to ten
years before discovering the cause of their problems. For example, a dose of
635 in soup for Friday lunch can result in symptoms at
Who should avoid flavour additives?
When processed food became
a growth industry in the 1960s artificial flavours were widely used, but in the
last twenty years - due to the consumer perception that natural flavours are
healthier - there has been a move towards man-made natural flavours. As with
many other industrial chemicals, most flavour additives have never been
properly tested for their effects on humans and fall into the category of GRAS
(‘generally recognised as safe’). A document from the food industry leaked to
the Today Tonight TV show in
As we have seen, there is
no significant difference between many artificial flavours and their natural
counterparts: it is the size of the dose that can cause problems. Some
consumers are more sensitive than others. Some will not be affected at all;
some will be affected only by large doses of food chemicals such as salicylates
in strawberry flavoured sweets or medication, and those who are more sensitive
will be affected when, for example, strawberries are concentrated in products
such as strawberry yoghurt.
It is possible to avoid
added flavours and flavour enhancers by avoiding highly processed foods. To
stick with the doses provided in nature, you can add fresh strawberries to
plain yoghurt or choose products with low or no flavours. Organic products will
be some of the safest. For example, yoghurts are more likely to contain only real
fruit as flavouring or will often specify ‘vanilla’ as the only flavouring
additive. Organic chocolate tastes quite different from highly flavoured
supermarket lines. If ‘flavour’ is listed, you are likely to find it refers to
vanilla or essential orange oil. There are some people for whom even that will
be too much. Children and adults who are sensitive to the smallest amounts of
food chemicals - including those in unprocessed natural foods - will feel
better if they avoid the higher salicylate fruit like oranges and stick to
lower salicylate fruit such as pears.
If you have ever seen an
obvious reaction to any additives or foods, even once, it is worth learning
more about food intolerance. Whatever you see is usually just the tip of the
iceberg. The effects of natural food chemicals can creep up slowly and leave
you wondering why your child isn’t doing as well as you expected, or why you
rarely feel as healthy as you should. Although children are the most
vulnerable, adults can be affected too.
More information
·
More
about food intolerance Allergy or intolerance Additives
to avoid Salicylates
·
There's
a brilliant chapter about flavour and fragrance factories in Fast Food Nation: what the all-American
meal is doing to the world by Eric Schlosser, Penguin, 2002.
·
The
regulations concerning flavours and flavour enhancers: www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/flavourings_user_guide_0802.pdf
·
The
effects of natural food chemicals in The Failsafe
Cookbook by Sue Dengate, Random House, new edition 2007
·
First
to alert parents to the dangers of flavours: Feingold B, Hyperkinesis and
learning disabilities linked to artificial food flavors and colors, Am J Nurs.
1975 ;75(5):797-803
·
Article
on flavours from Clean Food Organic by Sue Dengate: Conventional processed foods leave a bad
taste (360Kb PDF) 2007
The information given is not intended as
medical advice. Always consult with your doctor for underlying illness. Before
beginning dietary investigation, consult a dietician with an interest in food
intolerance. You can find a supportive dietitian through the Dietitians
Association of Australia www.daa.asn.au or
write for our list of supportive dietitians (confoodnet@ozemail.com.au)
© Sue Dengate update September 2007
