Consumers today want their food tasting great while aligning with nutrition trends like clean label, natural, organic, and delivering unique and valuable functional benefits. That’s a tall order but thankfully there are some natural flavouring ingredients to solve the challenge and meet consumer’s demand.

Flavourists need to know what’s the most important to your customer, understanding the benefits of natural ingredients you’re considering while creating flavours, and ultimately combining those ingredients to meet your customers’ needs with a profitable, market-winning product.

As per the Codex guidelines, natural flavouring complexes (CAC/GL 66-2008 item 2.2.2) are preparations that contain flavouring substances obtained by physical processes that may result in unavoidable but unintentional changes in the chemical structure of the flavouring or by enzymatic or microbiological processes, from material of plant or animal origin.

Natural flavouring substances (CAC/GL 66-2008 item 2.2.1.1) are flavouring substances obtained by physical processes that may result in unavoidable but unintentional changes in the chemical structure of the components of the flavouring or by enzymatic or microbiological processes, from material of plant or animal origin. Many essential oils and their components are widely used as natural flavouring complexes and natural flavouring substances in flavour industry.  

Consumers are increasingly aware of natural essential oils due to their purported health effects. With the rise in consumer awareness of essential oils and the perceived benefits associated with them, natural and organic flavours are being created to cater to this consumer demand. Rising concerns of people over health issues is fuelling the growth of food and beverages with clean label, natural and organic claim, and with functional benefits.

This article describes the biological activities and purported health benefits of some essential oils and their potential use in creating flavours with desirable ‘health halos’. Please note that the authors are flavour chemists and not health professionals. We cannot verify the health properties. Make claims only after consulting with your regulatory and health authorities.

Lavender Flavour: People usually associate lavender with two specific traits: its fragrance and its colour. But you may not know that the lavender flower and the oil derived from it have long histories in herbal medicine. While ingesting lavender oil on its own is not recommended, lavender-infused capsules are often used in the treatment of anxiety.

In small amounts such as in capsule form, lavender oil is considered safe to ingest. Lavender has a long history of traditional use and its essential oil was found to possess a wide range of biological effects. Evidence of the effectiveness of the lavender essential oil in the pharmacotherapy of mental disorders led to the development of Silexan, which is a standardized essential oil of L. angustifolia flowers prepared by steam distillation. Silexan is approved in Germany for the treatment of restlessness related to anxiety.

Studies were performed to estimate significance of the anxiolytic effect of lavender essential oil taken as silexan capsules versus other capsules such as placebo, paroxetine, lorazepam.  Anxiolytic effect of lavender was superior to placebo in many patients suffering from anxiety disorder. In addition, lavender improved associated symptoms such as restlessness, disturbed sleep, …….

Source: http://www.fnbnews.com/Top-News/creating-flavours-with-desirable-health-halos-65932