So, if the chemical structure is the same, what’s the problem with lab-derived vanilla? And are natural flavors harmful to your health? The Difference Between Natural and Artificial Flavors For instance, corn, cloves, and rice bran all contain chemical structures that scientists can manipulate into vanilla flavoring.

The FDA defines the term “natural flavor” as anything derived from something a normal person would consider food. Technically, the flavor is derived from a natural substance.

For instance, taking some chemical constituents from corn and making vanilla that tastes great in ice cream. Long ago, scientists figured out how to recreate certain flavors out of wildly different substances. That’s where the term “natural flavors” comes in. That means, your mouth doesn’t really know the difference between an actual vanilla bean and vanilla flavoring derived from tree bark - as long as the chemical structures are similar.

What to look for in vanilla-flavored productsĪll flavors, whether natural or man-made, are made up of chemical compounds that bind with taste receptors in your mouth.

Is natural flavor harmful to your health?.

The difference between natural and artificial flavors.

So, what’s a manufacturer to do when vanilla is clocking in at more than $200 per pound? Or when there’s not even enough to go around? Why, they recreate the flavor and call it 'natural vanilla flavor'! In this article you will learn: What is natural vanilla flavor? Well, vanilla is one of the most prized spices in the world, and one of the hardest to grow, making natural vanilla flavor a hot commodity in the food industry.

What does it mean to be vanilla