How Much "chemistry" Is In Your Food, Really?

Maryam Ayres Author: Maryam Ayres Time for reading: ~2 minutes Last Updated: October 31, 2022
How Much "chemistry" Is In Your Food, Really?

What chemicals in food can be considered safe and why you should not be afraid of chemicals in food. What is the difference between natural and artificial flavorings?

Food products - like all other objects of the material world - consist of chemicals. But people rarely think that the difference between "natural chemistry" and "synthetic" is not so great.

Products from the garden contain a lot of chemicals, and some of them also have long and scary names. The chemical composition of an ordinary green apple, for example, would shock a lover of organic products. It contains dyes, emulsifiers, thickeners and a whole set of flavors, including ethyl butanoate. Having met such a word on the packaging of sweets, the opponent of "chemistry" will immediately send it back to the shelf in disgust, never knowing that it is to him that most fruits owe their pleasant aroma.

 

The fact is that all the smells and tastes that we experience are the result of the interaction of chemicals. The characteristic smell of cloves, for example, comes from one substance from the class of phenols - eugenol, and cinnamon became famous for its aroma and taste thanks to cinnamic aldehyde.

 

Conclusion: Both natural and synthetic fragrances contain chemicals. The only difference is their origin.

 
What is the difference between natural and artificial flavorings?

Natural flavors are created from everything that can be eaten - meat, vegetables, fruits - even if these edible things have been processed in a laboratory. Artificial flavorings and flavorings are produced from anything inedible, for example, from oil. Thus, a flavoring can have any origin, but its molecule will follow the same route in your body.

So, why use artificial flavors? Synthetic chemicals in artificial flavors tend to cost less. Making them is easier than finding natural sources of these substances and processing them in a laboratory. Often they also turn out to be safer, as they have been thoroughly tested in accordance with DSTU.

 
 

The vanillin compound, for example, is responsible for the taste and smell of vanilla. In nature, vanillin is extracted from an orchid that grows in Mexico and some tropical countries. But the process of extracting this natural chemical is extremely time-consuming and expensive. Thus, scientists found a way to make a synthetic version of vanillin in the laboratory.

In 2006, Japanese researcher Travnia Yamamoto understood how to extract vanillin from cow excrement. For this, she was awarded the Schnobel Prize, but the fact remains: you can get familiar flavors and aromas in a variety of ways.

Artificial does not mean harmful

People often don't realize that the natural flavor or taste of food has just as much "chemistry" as a synthetic one. The number of components used to create an artificial strawberry flavor is similar to the number of chemicals in the berries from grandma's garden.

 

Some natural flavorings can be more dangerous than artificial ones. The taste of natural almonds, for example, has a "trace" of cyanide and benzaldehyde. This is why in movies, poisoning victims often notice the smell of bitter almonds in the air.

 

Don't think we're trying to justify carcinogens or bisphenol A. And food additives with an E code are present in any of your food. Soda is E500, citric acid is E330, gelatin is E441, vitamin B2 is E101, and everyone's favorite ascorbic acid is E300. Be smart and don't panic!

 

 

 
 

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