ABSTRACT
Food is a “substance taken into the body to maintain life and growth”—a de nition proposed by the 2nd edition of the Oxford Illustrated Dictionary in 1975 that does not only refer to nutrition but also to other aspects such as the pleasure associated with the process of taking food into the body. Any food item, whether a basic
9.1 Food Safety and Flavorings-An Introduction ............................................ 177 9.2 Risk Analysis-A Comprehensive Approach to Food Safety ...................... 179 9.3 Risk Analysis/Assessment of Flavorings-Challenge by Their
Complexity ..................................................................................................179 9.4 Chemically De ned Flavorings .................................................................... 180
9.4.1 FEMA GRAS ................................................................................... 180 9.4.2 JECFA/Codex Alimentarius ............................................................. 181 9.4.3 EFSA/European Commission .......................................................... 182
9.5 Natural Flavoring Complexes ....................................................................... 185 9.5.1 United States/FEMA ........................................................................ 186 9.5.2 JECFA/Codex Alimentarius ............................................................. 186 9.5.3 European Union ................................................................................ 187
9.6 Process and Smoking Flavorings .................................................................. 187 9.7 Substances of Speci c Concern .................................................................... 188 9.8 Labeling of Flavorings and Flavored Foods ................................................. 189
9.8.1 Labeling of Ingredients and Flavorings ............................................ 189 9.8.2 Referring to a Flavor ......................................................................... 189 9.8.3 Using the Claim “Natural” ............................................................... 190
9.9 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 190 References .............................................................................................................. 191
ingredient or a processed food that consists of several ingredients, has distinctive organoleptical properties that appeal to all ve human senses and especially to sight, smell, and taste. The ‘avor of a food is an experience of the individual consumer eating that food, and the perceived ‹avors will depend not only on the substances present in the food and its structure, but also on the individual’s genetic and sociocultural background. According to the Codex Alimentarius, “‹avour is the sum of those characteristics of any material taken in the mouth, perceived principally by the senses of taste and smell, and also the general pain and tactile receptors in the mouth, as received and interpreted by the brain.” Whereas ‹avor is therefore rather the result of an interaction between the consumer and a food, “‹avourings are products that are added to food to impart, modify, or enhance the ‹avour of food.” Both de nitions were agreed upon recently by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), an international body representing more than 190 members who lay down global food standards, as part of the Guidelines for the Use of Flavourings (CAC 2008).
