Optimum flavor quality and sensory properties are fundamental to a food product’s consumer acceptance. Beyond ensuring desirable taste, formulators often need to satisfy multiple criteria. Major considerations include cost, shelf life, nutritional standards, and a growing list of attributes such as non-GMO to organic to natural to consumer-friendly “clean labels.” To meet these consumer demands, the product development task requires an understanding of the regulatory framework for the use of flavor ingredients in food and beverage products. This presentation provided background and considerations on how flavors are labeled and what claims can be supported. Challenges to creating globally compliant flavors were also be discussed.
Robert J. McGorrin, Ph.D., CFS, Jacobs-Root Professor and Department Head, Department of Food Science & Technology, Oregon State University speaking on “Flavor Use and Clean Labels” at the 2017 Clean Label Conference.
