Natural flavourings from green chemistry for foods and beverages - Natural Food Additives, Ingredients and Flavourings - page 269

12.3 Green synthesis techniques
Most fl avour formulations rely on a combination of natural fl avour extracts and
individual fl avour molecules to create the desired fl avour and aroma. Some of
these fl avour molecules can be fractionated from natural extracts and more are
increasingly being produced by fermentation (Berger 2009). A large number of
fl avour molecules are still produced by conventional chemical synthesis, which is
often wasteful and ineffi cient. Within the new EU fl avour regulation (1334/2008),
natural fl avouring substances are defi ned in Article 3(2)c as:

A fl avouring substance obtained by appropriate physical, enzymatic or
microbiological processes from material of vegetable, animal or
microbiological origin either in the raw state or after processing for human
consumption by one or more of the traditional food preparation processes.

Processes that can be considered as natural are defi ned in Annex II of Regulation
(EC) No. 1334/2008. Of these processes the most useful can be summarised as
follows:
• Distillation and rectifi cation.
• Extraction, including using solvents prescribed in Directives 2009/32/EC and
2010/59/EU.
• Fermentation and microbiological processes.
• Heating and cooking up to 240°C at atmospheric pressure.
Working within these processes and mindful of the principles of green
chemistry, alternative processes can be developed using the following options
( Fig. 12.5 ).

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Fig. 12.5 Alternative greener processes for the production of fl avouring substances.