Short History & Appearances of Pyrazines, Extraction from Molasses
Humankind has always been fascinated by the food it eats. Historically, herbs and spices were used to improve the taste and preserve the shelf life of food [1]. Later, thermal processing such as frying, cooking and baking marked the beginning of changing the properties and flavors of foods, indifferent about the occurrence of triggered organic reactions at high temperatures. Both, the advent of modern organic chemistry and the increasing demand of food flavors - from strawberry to vanilla – are the reasons why chemically synthesized flavors have appeared in our food. Many of these have been inspired by naturally occurring fermentation processes with the help of further achievements in chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry and genetics [2]. To cover global demands, further progress is necessary. For example, the world’s strawberry harvest can cover only a small amount for strawberry flavored products such as strawberry jams, dairy products, ice cream, shampoos, room fragrances etc . and is often enriched in flavour with chemical or biological synthesized flavorings [personal consultations with Axxence Slovakia s.r.o.].
Today, most flavorings are produced by chemical synthesis or derived from natural sources. However, market analysis shows a customer trend craving products that are ‘natural‘ or at least containing ‘natural flavor‘ which means that ingredients are coming from natural sources such as a spice, fruit, or vegetable (see part of the EU regulation in chapter 2.4 (EEC No 1334/2008)). The legislation of the regulations varies from country to country. Most commercial flavor compounds do not qualify to be labelled ’natural’ despite being the structural equivalent of natural flavors because they are synthesized [3] chemically. Biological preparation is more often hindered due to high production costs of compatible unit operations or deficiency in availability of sources. Vanilla flavor is a popular example since only less than 1% of its global consumption derives from vanilla orchids [4].{Kundu, 2017 #420;Fache, 2016 #424} Thousands of tons of vanillin are produced chemically, although ‘biovanillin’ is emerging [5]. Public perception increases the pressure on industrial processes towards more sustainability. However, extraction from plants is often limited by low concentrations of the desired compounds and their appearance in variable and complex mixtures.