What are flavor carriers?

A flavor is divided into three main parts: flavor components, carriers/solvents and other non-flavor ingredients. Demand for flavoring agent is growing which ultimately increasing natural flavor carrier demand in the market.

Flavor carriers are ingredients that carry the flavoring agents or are mixed as a liquid with flavors used to impart flavors to various food products and beverages. These provide solubility to flavoring compounds.

Flavor carriers are used by food technologists and flavor consultants to enhance sweetness, shelf life, and texture of food and beverages. Flavor carriers are also used as a processing aid in humectant processing. Flavor carriers work as food additives, processing aids, humectants, carriers, and solvents which replace maltodextrin in non-soluble applications. Flavor carriers can be used as a heat stabilizer in food and beverages products.

Natural flavors are created using ingredients from natural sources such as essential oils, extracts, etc. that are derived from spices, fruits, vegetables, barks, and other natural sources. While, artificial or synthetic flavorings are created from chemical sources rather than natural sources.

The most common carriers for flavor are food-safe solvents, most commonly propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol/ethanol, vegetable glycerin, and triacetin. To create a specific taste, chemists blend aromatic chemicals, essential oils, botanical extracts, essences, and anything else they might need to achieve the end product.

Flavor carriers are available in liquid and solid forms and find applications across flavors, extracts, aroma chemicals, colors, beverages, dairy, savory and bakery & confectionery. These are the daily need products which are available as ready to eat products without further preparation which contain flavor carriers as ingredients to enhance the taste, texture, color and durability of products.
What are flavor carriers?