365 Flavors For 365 Days

Flavor or taste is the perceptual impression of food or other substances, and is determined by the chemical senses of the gustatory and olfactory system. The taste of food, can be altered naturally or artificially. Of the three chemical senses, smell is the main determinant of a food item's flavor. Five basic tastes – sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami or savory, are universally recognized. 

The number of food smells is unbounded; a food's flavor, therefore, can be easily altered by changing its smell while keeping its taste similar. This is exemplified in artificially flavored jellies, soft drinks and candies, which, while made of bases with a similar taste, have dramatically different flavors due to the use of different scents or fragrances. The flavorings of commercially produced food products are typically created by flavorists. A flavorant is defined as a substance that gives another substance taste, causing it to become sweet, sour, tangy, etc. Although both terms, in common language, denote the combined chemical sensations of taste and smell, the same terms are used in the fragrance and flavors industry to refer to edible chemicals and extracts that alter the flavor of food and food products through the sense of smell.

Examples Of Chemicals And Odor

Manzanate Apple

Diacetyl, acetoin Buttery

Isoamyl acetate Banana

Benzaldehyde Bitter almond, cherry

Cinnamaldehyde Cinnamon

Ethyl propionate Fruity

Methyl anthranilate Grape

Limonene Orange

Ethyl decadienoate Pear

Allyl hexanoate Pineapple

Ethyl maltol Sugar, cotton candy

2,4-Dithiapentane Truffle

Ethylvanillin Vanilla

Methyl salicylate Wintergreen