Essential oils

Essential oils extracted by solvent form herbs and spices found ready used in the rapid evolution of the soft drinks. They formed the backbone of the raw materials used by the early flavor industry.

Cola concentrate contains essential oils from coca, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, neroli" lemon", lime, orange and vanilla. Citrus soda concentrates contain citrus oils. It orange oil dominates in orange concentrate while lemon, lime and neroli oils dominate in lemon-lime-concentrate.

In fruit flavored beverages, the flavorants are mainly essential oils extracted from the fruit. Using the essential oils as an emulsion keeps the flavoring oils in suspension in the beverage in the same way as in a neutral cloud.

For example, usually a citrus essential oil, suitable prepared and ‘weighted’ with an oil soluble gum/resin component. This is dispersed and homogenized into an aqueous solution containing gum arabic or other similar acting hydrocolloid.

Such an emulsion now contributes the flavor to the product as well as acting as a cloudifier for the beverage.

Flavor chemicals are often very reactive and some are particular susceptible to oxidation. The most unstable flavorings are usually those based on essential oils, particularly citrus oils, which are especially vulnerable to auto-oxidation.

The terpene fractions of essential oils are the most reactive components and detrepenated oils are thus somewhat less vulnerable to repaid degradation than either whole oils or the terpene fractions.
Essential oils