CFC Natural & Artificial Flavor Ingredients 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What extraction method is primarily used to obtain essential oils from citrus peel?
- Steam distillation
- Solvent extraction
- Cold pressing (expression) (Correct answer)
- Supercritical CO2 extraction
Correct answer: Cold pressing (expression)
Cold pressing (expression) mechanically ruptures the oil glands in citrus peel to release essential oils without heat.
Question 2: Which compound is the primary contributor to characteristic vanilla flavor?
- Eugenol
- Coumarin
- Benzaldehyde
- Vanillin (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Vanillin
Vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) is the principal flavor compound in vanilla beans and is the standard reference for vanilla flavor.
Question 3: Steam distillation is best suited for extracting flavor compounds that are:
- Non-volatile and heat-stable
- Volatile and relatively heat-stable (Correct answer)
- Water-soluble and heat-labile
- Lipid-soluble and high-boiling
Correct answer: Volatile and relatively heat-stable
Steam distillation co-distills volatile, relatively heat-stable compounds with water vapor, lowering the effective boiling point.
Question 4: Which reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars is responsible for roasted and caramel flavor notes in cooked foods?
- Strecker degradation only
- Lipid oxidation
- Maillard reaction (Correct answer)
- Enzymatic hydrolysis
Correct answer: Maillard reaction
The Maillard reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars produces hundreds of flavor compounds including pyrazines, furans, and aldehydes responsible for roasted notes.
Question 5: Oleoresins differ from essential oils in that they contain:
- Only volatile terpene hydrocarbons
- Only water-soluble compounds
- Both volatile and non-volatile flavor components (Correct answer)
- Only synthetic flavor molecules
Correct answer: Both volatile and non-volatile flavor components
Oleoresins are solvent extracts that capture both the volatile essential oil fraction and non-volatile components such as pigments, resins, and pungent principles.
Question 6: Per FDA 21 CFR 101.22, a 'natural flavor' must be derived from:
- Any USDA-certified organic ingredient
- Spices, fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, dairy, fermentation products, or roasting of these (Correct answer)
- Plant-based sources only
- Botanicals listed on the GRAS registry
Correct answer: Spices, fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, dairy, fermentation products, or roasting of these
21 CFR 101.22 specifically lists spices, fruits/juices, vegetables/juices, edible yeast, herbs, bark, buds, root leaves, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy, and fermentation/roasting products as acceptable natural flavor sources.
CFC Natural & Artificial Flavor Ingredients 1
What extraction method is primarily used to obtain essential oils from citrus peel?