Flavors and Fragrances Play an Important Role in Our Daily Lives

Flavors and fragrances substances are strong-smelling organic compound with pleasant odor. Nowadays, flavors and fragrances play an important role in our daily lives which have found widespread applications in food, beverages, cosmetics, detergents, and pharmaceutical products.

Fragrances (for the cosmetics, toiletries, and related sectors)

Main applications: perfumes, skin-care products, hair-care products, and body-care products, bath additives, detergents, fabric softeners, air fresheners, etc.

Flavors (for the food sector)

Main applications: beverages, frozen desserts, other desserts, confectioneries, chewing gum, dental cleaning products, instant and retort pouch foods, animal feed, etc.

Fragrance and flavor materials are sometimes the same if we take vanillin as an example. However, some materials can be used in flavors and not in fragrances while others can be used in fragrances but not in flavors. It may seem strange that some materials are safe to eat are not safe on the skin. In the other direction, it may seem obvious that it would not be wise to drink Chanel No 5!

Flavors and fragrances are now prepared through chemical synthesis or by extraction from plants. Cinnamic acid is used in flavors, synthetic indigo, and certain pharmaceuticals, though its primary use is in the manufacturing of the methyl, ethyl, and benzyl esters for the perfume industry. Cinnamaldehyde is a pale yellow liquid with a warm, sweet, spicy odor and a pungent taste reminiscent of cinnamon which is used as a flavor in bakery goods, confection, beverages, toothpaste etc.  Cinnamyl alcohol and its esters are used in perfumery. Obviously, there are many other examples not listed here.

All in all, flavors and fragrances play the part of an unseen force adding color to all aspects of our daily lives.