How are flavor extracts made?
Every time you make coffee in a coffee maker, you are making an extract. In the example of coffee you are using water as the solvent to extract the flavor compounds. In many cases, however, the flavor compounds found in botanicals are not water soluble, but rather oil soluble. As an example, if you attempted to make “coffee” using ground black pepper it would have little flavor and pungency. This is due to the fact that most of the flavor compounds in pepper are not water soluble, but rather oil soluble. As a result, solvents such as ethyl alcohol, which extract oil soluble compounds, are used to make extracts. Many extracts are not “true” extracts, but rather solutions in ethyl alcohol and water. While it’s relatively easy to make extracts, it is challenging to make them well. The exact process a company uses is usually considered proprietary. A well made extract will be clear and will not cloud the product in which it is being used. When a “true” flavor extract is made, the ingredien
