• Flavouring agents are the
largest class of food additives.
Esters are a major component
of most extracts / concentrates
which are used as flavourings.
• On occasion it is
possible to
make the taste desired with a
few synthesized esters.
HCO2CH2CH3 = rum
• The sense of
taste is based on the activation of a number of receptors in parallel by the
molecule.
• The brain anaylses the various
receptor signals and says if it is for instance apple or pineapple.
CH3(CH2)2CO2CH3 CH3(CH2)2CO2CH2 CH3