LOCATION

SWITZERLAND

SWITZERLAND

SWITZERLAND

Two main principles are at the basis of flavor formation :

Enzymatic and fermentation processes 
Non-enzymatic browning reactions or Maillard reaction 

A flavor is created in several stages. The flavorist has a large range of available raw materials and this range is constantly increasing. The flavorist’s task is to determine which mixture of ingredients goes well together and gives the best grouping of compounds. 
An aroma may be composed of 10, 20, 30 or more different chemical compounds. These compounds are present in different but specific quantities. Wine contains approximately 400 different compounds and coffee contains 800. More than 6000 different natural flavor compounds have so far been identified and there are estimated to be more than 9000. 95% of these compounds have a role in flavoring. 

The equipment most widely used by the flavorist is the chromatograph. This tool makes it possible to separate the compounds contained in a natural food product. The first chromatograph was used in 1900 by a Russian botanist, Ms. TSWETT to separate plant pigments. Chromatographic analysis is based on the different speed of migration of organic compounds through an immobile medium called the « stationary phase ». This migration takes place in a fluid vector called « mobile phase ». When the interactions between particles and the stationary phase are stronger than the interactions between the particles and the phase mobile, the organic compound is hold back into a column. Chemical compounds may then be identified by comparing their retention time, which is the time taken for the chemical compound to pass through the gas chromatography column alone, and the retention time of a standard. The combustion of each organic component emits a signal at the level of a detector. This chromatography detector measures approximately the percentage of each type of chemical particle present. 

To carry on a good chromatography analysis, the first step consist in selecting the most appropriate sample as possible, remembering that volatile chemical composition of the fresh raw material is significantly different from the one of a cooked product. This sample can obviously not be directly injected into gas chromatograph. Here comes the second step which consist in extracting the flavor volatile from the raw material, the first objective in aroma analysis being to ensure that the extract is representative of the original product. How does one select a technique from the myriad of well-isolation methods that will be best suited to solution of the current problem ? The analytical flavor chemist is faced daily with the separation and identification of complex mixtures. These mixtures comprise a wide range of organic chemicals that possess varying polarities and reactivities, usually occur in trace concentrations, and are likely included in other complex organic matrices. Fortunately, most aroma chemicals are volatile, and procedures for their isolation from foods and flavors have been established that takes advantage of this volatility. Not so advantageous is the length of time usually required to obtain an isolate that is representative of the original aroma or flavor of the sample. The selection of steam distillation, solvent extraction, trapping of the volatiles on adsorbents, or combinations of these methods with other techniques might require several hours before the chemist can begin his chromatographic separation. 

Flavors are perceived into the brain after a series of changes of the nervous message generated by volatile compounds in sensory cells of the nasal cavity. These chemicals achieve into the sensory area, either by a direct way, when the consumer smells the foodstuff at distance, or by a retro nasal way, when the foodstuffs are already into the mouth. Describe a flavor or a taste is not an easy task. It is impossible for everyone to interpret special terms identically, the reason being that each person has an individual sense of taste. Flavorists have developed their own language for that reason. It needs months, indeed years, to learn it. Furthermore, it evolves and changes following ages and cultures. It is nevertheless imperative to define the required organoleptic profile. For want of a precise knowledge of the aromatic language, it is convenient to describe with the most accuracy as possible the searched notes. The easiest and the most effective way are to base on examples and similarities.