Flavor and fragrance knowledge
1. The concept of fragrance
When natural spices and synthetic spices are used alone, they often cannot get a satisfactory fragrance. Therefore, the spices that have a stable and satisfactory aroma by blending the above two spices are called blended spices. In China, we call it essence.
Except for a few varieties, most of the spices used in final products (such as cosmetics, soap, food, etc.) use blended spices, that is, essences; the person who designs the blended spice formula is called a perfumer ( Perfumer); the person who designs the formula of food flavors is called a flavorist, and it is also called a flavorist in China; the process of designing flavor formulas is called flavoring; the process of accurately weighing spices according to the formula to make flavors is called blending.
Generally speaking, the aroma of various monomer spices that make up the essence will always make people feel "strong", "weak", "similar to a certain smell", "reminiscent of something", "stinky", " "Greasy smell", "moisture smell", "floral fragrance" and other impressions, but rarely give people the feeling of "beautiful smell". That is to say, most of the spices do not have a pleasant aroma (except for a small number of spices with fruity and floral aromas). But the smell of cosmetics and food such as perfume, cologne, and cream can be called "good smell". Why? It all depends on the mastery of the perfumer. This kind of blending is based on spices, just like blending cocktails, blending various spices together in a certain proportion is the fragrance. However, why does the smell become fragrant and wonderful after being perfumed? Historically, it is unknown when humans began to master this technology. Perhaps it is purely an accidental discovery, just like the origin of cocktails. It is probably also due to the simple to complex requirements of human beings, out of the pursuit of the beauty of the smell such as "can it make the smell better?", "can it make the fragrance last longer?" and so on. Under the domination of these ideas, some people began to collect similar spices, and mixed them together to smell their aroma, and then added other favorite spices to the mixed spices for experimentation. Under the guiding ideology of dissatisfied with the obtained aroma and expecting to obtain a better aroma, it is almost instinctive and constantly experimenting, and finally succeeds after repeated setbacks. This is probably how the fragrance blending technology was produced.
From the perspective of food, except for salads or fruits that are kept fresh and served directly on the table, they must be cooked more or less before they can be eaten. Food tastes good only when it is cooked, and flavoring is very similar to cooking in this respect. Pepper is too pungent to eat without seasoning, but when mixed with the right amount of sauce (sauce), it will have a delicious effect. Therefore, it is necessary to fully grasp the original smell of various monomer fragrances, and which fragrances to make them match with, in what proportion, and so on.
2. The basic task, principle and purpose of flavoring
In summary, the current flavoring technology is divided into two categories. One is perfumery in daily chemicals, and the other is flavoring technology in food. This book focuses on the basic knowledge of food flavors and fragrances, the basic knowledge of food flavoring technology and the basic technology of food flavoring combined with food production technology. In order to make beginners understand the overall picture of flavors and fragrances, some basic knowledge about cosmetics is briefly introduced. This knowledge is equally important for the flavoring of food flavors.
Assuming that there are two kinds of spices, A and B, the basic task of perfumery is to use these two spices, A and B, to blend a completely new flavor that is neither A nor B. The principle of fragrance is how to achieve the balance of aroma. The purpose of perfumery is to seek or pursue the "harmony" (harmony) among the various spices. Harmony is the motto of perfumers and the goal they strive for all their lives. Harmony is what a successful fragrance should be. This requires perfumers to master and be familiar with the basic knowledge of the following two aspects, have an extraordinary sense of smell and memory, and have rich imagination and creativity.
1. Basic knowledge of fragrance blending: Accumulate experience and experience in the process of blending various spices, and master the basic skills of "arguing fragrance" (evaluating fragrance), "imitating fragrance" and "creating fragrance". The three aspects are interrelated, and they are also an indispensable stage in the process of learning fragrance technology. They can be carried out step by step, or they can be properly crossed, so that they complement each other and continue to deepen.
The so-called "fragrance identification" is to be able to distinguish various or various aromas or fragrances, to evaluate its quality and to identify its quality level. For example, identifying a spice mixture or a scented product also requires being able to point out which spices the aroma and fragrance generally come from, and to be able to identify where the "undesirable" aroma and fragrance come from.
First of all, it is necessary to master the performance of hundreds of monomeric fragrances (thousands abroad) frequently used in China, nearly a hundred kinds of fragrance bases, and dozens of successful essences. The similarities and differences of aromas and how to substitute them, and practice the basic skill of "identifying aromas". Not only should the results of the fragrance identification be recorded on paper, but also should be kept in the mind as a memory for a long time until retirement.
The so-called "imitation fragrance" is to use the knowledge of fragrance discrimination to blend a variety of spices into the desired aroma or fragrance according to the appropriate ratio. There are generally two requirements for imitation fragrance, one is to imitate natural, this is because some natural fragrances are expensive, or the source is insufficient, requiring us to use other fragrances, especially synthetic fragrances with rich sources to imitate the same or the same as the imitation object. Essences with similar aromas and fragrances can replace these natural products; another requirement is to imitate the fragrances of some successful fragranced products and finished essences at home and abroad. Pay attention to matters such as patent rights when imitating. For imitating natural products, you can refer to some literature on component analysis to take a shortcut, but it is much more complicated and difficult to imitate the aroma or fragrance of a flavored product, which requires sufficient basic skills in aroma identification and mastery of instrumental analysis techniques.
The so-called "fragrance creation" refers to the use of scientific and technical methods to design and create a novel and harmonious fragrance or fragrance (or fragrance type) essence on the basis of the practice of fragrance identification and imitation to meet a specific taste. The fragrance needs of the product should make the created essence meet the requirements of economical and reasonable use of fragrance and adapt to the characteristics of the fragranced product. To master the scope of application of spices, and then to choose the right variety to deploy a variety of flavors. When blending, it is necessary to refer to and analyze the data, use the aroma characteristics of the essence, and master the formula pattern (referring to the composition specifications and layout of the formula) according to the style of the fragrance (that is, the type is a vocabulary used to describe the style and tone of a unique fragrance). , vividly express the artistic sensibility of aroma. This requires many repetitions, revisions, and continuous accumulation of experience in order to be successful. It is necessary to achieve the level that not only experts but also ordinary laymen can feel the fragrance is elegant, natural and harmonious, because it is these many laymen who are buying the products. Essence is a product with a strong artistic style that is difficult to analyze accurately and has a strong artistic style, which is blended by the perfumer through the sense of smell. After blending, the aromas of various spices have been harmoniously blended together. It is impossible for another perfumer or several people to imitate it easily and vividly. This not only increases the confidentiality of the essence, but also highlights the mystery and interest of the essence.
2. The basic knowledge of flavor application technology is the perfuming technology: Generally, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of the perfuming product medium and its perfuming requirements, its process conditions and the use of perfuming products. Different flavoring products need to be blended with different flavors. The common requirements are:
a. Fragrance should meet the selected requirements;
b. Different uses require different spices to formulate;
c. Different grades should choose different spices to meet the cost requirements;
d. Pay attention to the composition of the essence, and correctly select the main body, auxiliary, modification and fixative fragrances;
e. The aromas of the first, middle, and tail layers should be coordinated and stable, that is, the head fragrance should have good diffusion power, the middle rhyme should be strong, have bones and flesh, and the tail fragrance should have a certain staying power. At the same time, attention should be paid to the color and luster effects, especially in white flavored products;
f. Adapt to and respect natural geographical conditions and customs, and treat different people, regions, and climates separately;
g. In the prescription, attention should be paid to the possibility of chemical reactions between spices, such as transesterification, hydrolysis, oxidation, polymerization, condensation, etc., and the variety of spices should be carefully selected;
h. Daily flavors must be safe to human skin and hair, and edible flavors must comply with international and domestic safety and hygiene regulations. The nouns or concepts involved in the above will be introduced in detail.
3. The basic composition of essence
Essence is basically composed of four parts of spices.
1. Fragrance base or main agent, also called base: determines the type of essence aroma, and is an absolutely necessary ingredient to endow the characteristic aroma. Its smell forms the main body and outline of the essence aroma. It is a kind of mixed spice, but it is not used for direct perfuming, but as a kind of spice in essence, which has certain aroma characteristics and represents a certain type of fragrance.
2. Blender (blender): also called blending agent, the skill of mixing several spices together to make them emit a harmonious aroma is called blending, and the spices used for blending are called blending agents. The purpose is to reconcile the aroma of various ingredients, which has a reconciling effect and can make the aroma rich and mellow.
3. Flavor modifier (modifier): also known as modifier or modifier, is the technique of using the aroma of one spice to modify the aroma of another spice, so that it can emit a specific aroma in the essence, which is called modification. Fragrances used as modifiers are called modifiers. It is a kind of undertone ingredient that can be effective with a small amount, and it sets off the base and makes the fragrance more beautiful.
4. Fixative: also called retaining agent, the purpose is to maintain the unique fragrance of the essence after a long time. Its function is to make all the fragrances tightly combined and keep the volatilization speed even , always giving out the aroma in the same condition. It can be a single fragrance, a mixture of several monomer fragrances, or a mixture of one or several natural fragrances. Animal spices, high-boiling essential oils such as vetiver, and high-boiling synthetic spices, such as vanillin and coumarin commonly used in food flavors, are all good fixatives.
4. Fragrance identification, evaluation and volatilization of flavors and fragrances
Flavors and fragrances volatilize in the air, reach the nasal cavity, and pass through the nerves to the brain to produce a sense of smell. Aroma can be divided into three sections according to the volatilization degree of flavor and fragrance.
1. Top note or top note: the first smell is called top note. Such as the part of the aroma that is smelled immediately when the perfume bottle is opened. The degree of volatilization is high, and it is generally believed that the volatilization will disappear within two hours in the review of incense sticks, and those that leave no fragrance are top fragrances. This is the first impression left by aroma, which is equivalent to the "taste" of food. For essence, the taste of this aroma is very important. Generally, the top fragrance is always selected as the top fragrance that has strong hobbies, can be harmoniously blended with other fragrances, and is fresh and refreshing, which can make the whole fragrance rise, and which is somewhat original. So new monomers or isolated fragrances are more important for a perfumer. All citrus fragrances, rose oil, fruity fragrances, light green fragrances fall into this range. The difficulty lies in that the aroma, like food, must change the taste frequently, otherwise it will make people feel bored, but it must be prevented from being too strange to make people uncomfortable.
2. Middle note, referred to as middle note: also known as body note, with a medium volatility. After the first fragrance has passed, a rich aroma follows. The aroma lasts for 2 to 6 hours on the fragrance stick, which is an important part of showing the aroma characteristics of flavors and fragrances. Spices suitable for this part include floral scents such as jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, and clove, as well as various spices such as aldehydes and spices.
3. Tail fragrance, also called base fragrance, late fragrance, base note or residual fragrance, fragrance trace (dry out): low volatility and high retention, the fragrance remains on the fragrance stick for more than 6 hours or a few days or months.
Single fragrances can be classified in this way according to their volatility, while natural fragrances are difficult to classify because the mixture contains ingredients from the top fragrance to the tail fragrance, and it is necessary to memorize its special fragrance