Flavor-defined as a memory & an experience-includes two phenomenataste & smell-emphasizes olfactory (smell) & gustatory (taste) aspectsalso contributed

by vision, hearing & tactile senses to the total flavor

impression-viewed as a division between physical sense (appearance,
texture & consistency) & chemical sense (smell, taste & feeling)-hence
the sum total of those characteristics of any material taken in the mouth,
perceived principally by the senses of taste & smell & also the general
senses of pain & tactile receptors in the mouth, as perceived by the
brain-also includes the important trigeminal senses which detect
chemical irritants in the mouth & throat as well as temperature & texture
contributing to the overall flavor perception-a very complex sensationprimarily composed of aroma & taste complimented by tactile &
temperature responses-do several things in food systems-foremost
among these functions is the ability to render food more acceptable &
enjoyable-used to create the impression of flavor where little or none
exist-impart food products with recognizable characters-soft drinks,
confectionery, milk deserts, ice creams, etc would not exist without
addition of flavorings(Flavors-1)
Flavors are used
to alter the flavor of a product, eg dairy products
to modify, supplement or enhance an existing flavor
to compensate for the loss of flavor during food processing, eg
pasteurized foods, syrups, alcoholic beverages, freezing, filtration
& long term storages
to transform nutritionally valuable materials of bland taste, eg
grasses, weeds, seeds & roots into well accepted foods
to give flavor to the flavorless base
to impart different flavor characteristics from that arising from
basic materials
to mask objectionable flavor characters

 to overcome seasonal availability or variations in natural flavoring

materials
to impart flavor where the use of natural flavoring materials is
technologically impracticable
to make available, at an economical price, the flavor of natural
materials which are of limited commercial availability or are
prohibitively expensive
Taste is the tongue's response to various stimuli-the surface reacts to the
tactile & temperature such as cooling of menthol & heat of red pepper or
capsicum-mainly limited to seven basic tastes, sweet, sour, bitter, salty,
savory, pungent or piquant & metallic-involves certain basic principles
of physiology of flavor perception-taste active chemicals react with
receptors on the surface of sensory cells in the papillae causing electrical
depolarization, ie drop in voltage across the sensory cell membrane-the
biochemical reactions involved in the process collectively called
transduction-thus the specificity of chemosensory processes, viz taste &
smell, of different materials caused by differences in voltage
development is termed as transduction mechanism associated with CNSdifferent mechanisms involved in varying taste qualities-also exist for
same chemical in different species
Smell is the main determinant of food flavor-its importance becomes
very obvious when a person catches cold & can only sense flavor
characteristics by the taste, tactile & temperature responses-the smells of
food are potentially limitless-food's flavor can be easily altered by
changing its smell keeping the taste similar-exemplified by artificially
flavored jellies, soft drinks, candies & ice creams-although all of these
made of bases of similar tastes, possess dramatically different flavors
due to use of different scents & fragrances-the physiology of odor, a
more complex phenomena-has been claimed that odor is 80% of flavor-

most logically attributed to its molecular structure-the perception

preceded by process of transduction which involves chemical reaction
with receptor cell, excites a nerve centre, gives sensation, mediated by
brain into perception-odor quality very much associated with chemical
structure, eg hydrocarbons are almost odorless, but incorporation of
hetero atom viz O or S imparts mild to strong odor-feature that affects
odor is the structural form of the molecule, especially isomeric & spatial
variations including enantiomeric properties, eg L-carvone exhibits
spearmint character while D-carvone gives dillweed & caraway odor &
taste
The sources of flavors in food
a) preexisting in the raw materials such as meat, fish, fruits,
vegetables, etc
b) developed from precursors in basic food ingredients by chemical
changes induced by the effects of heat & enzyme systems during
cooking
c) deliberately added in the form of concentrates or seasonings, both
of natural & artificial origins
Flavor in foods-a dynamic attribute & equilibrium-capable of significant
changes-stemming from the raw materials, processing conditions,
packaging materials, handling & storage thru to the final preparation of
the product for the consumption-the thorough knowledge of these
changes facilitates its usefulness to enhance the acceptability of the
formulated product-also to avoid certain bad effects occurring during
processing-other components may be added to intensify desirable flavor
characteristics, to suppress the undesirable ones & to impose totally new
flavor profile-the knowledge of precursors & pathways leading to
formation of flavors is of more interest to determine various obtainable
flavor chemicals to be used

 to study the appearance of off-flavors naturally or on storage

to produce an artificial substitute
to determine flavor differences of various species found in nature
Mechanism of flavor perception/sensing
A considerable diversity of usage of flavoring materials in food
formulations-during eating or drinking, the volatile components first
inhaled thereby stimulating the olfactory receptors & the effect enhanced
by volatiles released in the mouth during chewing & swallowingsimultaneously the basic taste factors are appreciated via taste on the
tongue, while the inner linings of mouth & throat respond to tactile,
temperature &/or chemical stimuli (texture & seven basic tastes)-gives a
complete recognition of flavor-at this stage, the judgment passes from
external to internal product attributes-the responses of odor, taste, flavor
& other integrated sensations become paramount
Sensory assessment
Needs to be done for judging the odor & flavor characteristics/profilesgenerally carried out by panel of experts (minimum six) in terms of
qualitative & quantitative data about the sensations of taste, smell &
feelings-a subjective method-may vary among individuals
The relationship of components & profiles-well established with the
extensive use of various instrumental evidences from GC/MS, HPLC,
etc-give fairly good idea of the components & composition of flavor
blends-also help in distinguishing the minor differences in flavor
characteristics even with variable composition of mixtures of same
components-further also may be confirmed by attaching a
sniffer/electronic nose to GC detector outlet to identify the odor profile
of the individual components on GC separation & as notified in the data

library of computerized system-however the total sensation, a purely

additive in nature, may be synergistic or antagonistic in effect
Sensory characteristics of some flavorants
n-valeraldehyde/acrid, 3-decalactone/buttery, -nonalactone/coconutlike,
hexyl amine/fishy, phenyl ethyl acetate/floral, 2-phenyl
propionaldehyde/green (floral), hexyl acetate/green (grassy), heptyl
caproate/green (leafy), citral/lemony, amyl vinyl ketone/metallic, pentadecalactone/musky, dimethyl disulfide/onionlke, isoamyl
laurate/fatty, lauryl alcohol/soapy, eugenol/spicy, isovaleric acid/sweaty,
heptyl isobutyrate/woody, ethyl 10-undecenoate/winey
Location of flavors in plant sources
As in perfumery, the content & composition of flavors-depend on
various variables-species, season, soil, climate, nutrition, etc-eg
concentration of allyl isothiocyanate in garlic-more in outer leaves than
in inner leaves-similarly the abundance of lachrymator & pyruvate, nil in
dry outer scales of onion, increases progressively in the leaves towards
center-thus the difference in total flavor & their profile in various parts
of the plant
Factors differentiating the flavor characteristics
Genetics-plant genetic composition-decides enzyme systems & their
activity & influence in flavor formation-generally the quantitative than
the qualitative difference-eg the content of 2-isobutyl-thiazole, the flavor
component of tomato, of different varieties varies between 90 ppb to 140
ppb-the yellow varieties of apple contain major portion of acetates & the
red varieties show major content of butyrate esters
Environmental effect-very striking changes in the flavor of onion, garlic,
cabbage, mustard-majorly dependent on sulfate content of the growth

medium-under extreme sulfate deficiency, onion lacked in typical flavor

& lachrymator potency-both properties increase with increasing sulfate
content in growth medium-this ability to control flavor characteristics
via plant nutrition provides an opportunity to produce vegetables of
selected flavor strength-eg cabbage with much reduced cooking odor or
raddish with less pungency or harshness
Water content of the soil during growth-influences the flavor to a large
extent-plentiful rainfall results in large lush green vegetable which lack
in flavor-inadequate rainfall often results in fruits & vegetables of
smaller size & less attractive but yet with more intense flavor-generally
attributed to the stress put on the plants due to water scarcity resulting in
to low molecular weight metabolites serving as flavor precursors
Temperature influence-profound as enzyme reactions are temperature
dependent-low temperatures exhibit intense flavors due to accumulation
of low molecular weight metabolites-rise in temperature enhances
enzyme activity-results in rapid changes in flavor profile