However, the problem with this approach is that Mother Nature usually cannot produce enough natural flavors or natural chemicals to completely address the demands of the food and beverage supply chain. Without human innovation and intervention, Mother Nature would leave hundreds of orders unfulfilled. Unfortunately, the steps we take to expand production sometimes have a negative effect on the environment. To increase crop yields of natural ingredients, we add fertilizers and pesticides to the ground, and destroy forests and animal habitats to clear land for increased production.
To illustrate my point, let’s take a closer look at the supply chain for vanilla, a chemical used in food products like coffee and ice cream, as a fragrance within the consumer packaged goods industry, as well as a general purpose stain within the laboratory to separate non-volatile mixtures. According to industry reports, the demand for vanilla in 2010 was approximately 15,000 tons, but only 2,000 tons of natural vanilla was produced. The reason for the low natural production quantity is because in nature, vanillin, the chemical that gives vanilla its taste and aroma, is only found in a vining orchid plant in Mexico. The extraction process to create “natural” vanillin is both time-consuming and expensive. Expanding production to produce an addition 13,000 tons would require the dedication of additional farmland in Mexico, pesticides, human labor, and lots of warehouses for the drying process. Expanding production would have a severe environmental impact on the region in Mexico where the orchid is grown.
Fortunately, researchers identified the chemical structure of vanillin as early as 1874. Once the chemical structure was identified, it was discovered that it could be synthetically derived from coniferin, a glycoside found in pine bark. Synthetically creating vanilla from pine bark ensured that consumer demand would be met without a devastating toll on the environment. Since that time, scientists have discovered many different ways of synthetically create vanillin. In 2006, Japanese researcher Mayu Yamamoto was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize at Harvard University because she developed a way of extracting vanillin from cow excrement. This not only saves the environment but also creates a useful substance from what is usually a waste product.
Vanilla is not the only example in which a synthetic chemical is easier to produce in mass quantities than its natural counterpart. Soy sauce can be made out from acid-hydrolyzed vegetable protein, rather than boiled soybeans. Strawberry, grape and many other fruit flavors can also be mass produced in the laboratory. But what about safety concerns? The interesting thing about the use of synthetic chemicals is that, due to regulations, they have to go through a battery of tests before they can be used in food products. According to our Chief Flavourist Mr.Dileep, “When a flavorist creates a flavour from scratch it can be guaranteed that every component of the flavor has been safety-tested and verifiably approved for consumption.” However, natural flavors are not tested in the same way. To support our growing population, synthetic chemicals will have to be used more frequently than natural chemicals and flavors. However, this might just be necessary in order to preserve and protect our environment.