What Are Food Flavourings?
A food flavouring is a food additive added to food and beverage products to impart, strengthen, or modify taste. Within the BPOM regulatory framework, flavourings fall under the food additive (BTP) category and are subject to the BPOM Head Regulation that governs types, maximum dosage, and labelling obligations. Flavourings differ from whole herbs or spices, which are generally treated as food ingredients rather than food additives.
Technically, a flavouring is a mixture of volatile aroma compounds that interact with receptors in the nose and on the tongue. Around 80 percent of what we perceive as taste is in fact aroma. That is why food tastes bland when the nose is blocked. Flavourings are designed to complete the sensory profile of the finished product, whether to bring out the fruit character in a drink, balance the aftertaste in a sugar substitute, or give a consistent identity to a mass-produced product.
Three Types of Food Flavourings
BPOM and the Codex Alimentarius group flavourings into three main categories. These categories determine what may be stated on the product label and how the ingredient must be documented.
1. Natural Flavourings. Obtained from plant or animal raw materials through physical, microbiological, or enzymatic processes. Examples: vanilla extract from vanilla beans, citrus essential oil from fresh citrus peel, pandan extract from pandan leaves. Natural flavourings are generally more expensive because they depend on raw material availability and a low extraction yield.
2. Nature-Identical Flavourings. Aroma compounds that are chemically identical to those found in nature, but synthesised in a laboratory. Example: synthetic vanillin whose molecule is the same as the vanillin from vanilla beans. This category offers higher batch consistency and stable costs, but may not be claimed as natural on the label.
3. Synthetic Flavourings. Aroma compounds not found in nature, produced entirely through chemical synthesis. Examples: ethylvanillin (stronger than natural vanillin), and certain fruit esters made specifically for confectionery and beverages. Every synthetic compound used in Indonesia must be on the BPOM positive list and must not exceed the maximum dosage limits set.
How Food Flavourings Are Made
Making a flavouring is a blend of food science, analytical chemistry, and the flavourist's craft. The four most common methods used in the industry:
- Solvent extraction. Raw materials are steeped in a food-grade solvent such as ethanol, propylene glycol, or water to draw out aroma compounds. The solvent is then concentrated or partly evaporated. This is the standard method for vanilla, coffee, and many spice extracts.
- Distillation. Raw materials are heated, and the aroma vapour is collected and condensed. Suitable for essential oils from citrus peel, pandan leaves, and spices such as clove and cinnamon.
- Fermentation. Microorganisms are used to produce aroma compounds. Biological vanillin, lactic acid, and many cheese compounds are produced through this route. It meets the natural category under the regulations of many countries.
- Compounding. A flavourist blends dozens to hundreds of aroma compounds to build a particular sensory profile. This is the heart of flavour work, and the reason every supplier has its own signature taste.
Applications in Indonesia's F&B Industry
Almost every category of processed food and beverage uses flavourings, with differing profiles and functions:
- Instant noodles. Powder seasonings and seasoning oils rely on savoury flavourings (chicken, curry, soto, rendang) that withstand the drying and rehydration process.
- UHT and flavoured milk. Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and melon flavourings must withstand ultra-high temperature pasteurisation without losing their profile.
- Biscuits and wafers. Flavourings must be stable at high baking temperatures. Cream coatings often use encapsulated flavourings for controlled release in the mouth.
- Powdered drinks. Flavourings must dissolve quickly, not clump, and withstand humidity during long storage in a tropical climate.
- Extruded snacks and crisps. Flavourings are applied as a powder topping or slurry, with carrier support that holds the profile through to consumption.
- Confectionery and sweets. Flavourings must withstand the tempering process and stay stable through a long shelf life.
How to Choose a Flavouring Supplier
If you are just starting to evaluate flavouring suppliers, the following five aspects are a good starting point:
- An active BPJPH halal certificate (mandatory since October 2024 for all food additives that go into halal products).
- A BPOM registration number for the food additive, together with a Certificate of Analysis per batch.
- Local technical support: an application laboratory, a sensory panel, and flavourists you can discuss formulation with.
- Documented batch-to-batch consistency (tolerance in percent for the key sensory parameters).
- Capacity and lead time that match your production plan, usually 2 to 4 weeks for standard products.
For a deeper discussion of the mandatory documentation and the technical questions to ask before committing to volume, see the food flavourings buying guide.
When to Contact VKA
VKA® has been a Southeast Asian food flavouring manufacturer since 1971. Its plant in Singapore is certified to FSSC 22000, GMP, HACCP, and MUIS halal, with official distribution in Indonesia through PT Aroma Indonesia Internasional. More than 5,000 flavour profiles have been developed for F&B manufacturers across ASEAN, including Asian profiles such as pandan, durian, coconut, gula melaka, rendang, and sambal. Learn about VKA's formulation capabilities or explore all of the flavour industry guides.