Why does a cherry-flavored drink taste like almonds?

If you have ever tasted those "cherry-flavored" sodas or candies, you may be surprised by their mysterious taste: What the hell is this, isn't it almond flavor? Why does the "cherry flavor" made with artificial flavors feel so different from cherry?

Cherry-flavored drinks, something that makes many people start to doubt life... | Adam Lindsley / Serious Eats

I guess a lot of people have tried this... | Mike Mozart / flickr

What is cherry flavor made of?

Benzaldehyde is a core ingredient in artificial cherry flavor, and it is this that gives the iconic "almond smell" (although some places say it has a "cherry aroma," but I believe many people will refuse to admit this). Does it sound like a bad chemical ingredient? Don't worry, the amount used as a flavor is still very small, and it is also on the FDA's "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) list.

Of course, formulators will also add some other ingredients to cherry flavor to improve the flavor, including acetophenone, anisaldehyde, etc. There are also some differences in the cherry flavor formulas used in different products.

Several chemicals used to create artificial cherry flavor, with benzaldehyde (top right) being an important one | Blog of flavor chemist Michael Colangelo

Does this have anything to do with cherries?

In fact, it is true. **Benzaldehyde is indeed a volatile substance naturally present in cherry fruits. **And in many studies, it has been identified by researchers as one of the aroma substances of cherry.

For example, a study published in 2007 pointed out that hexaldehyde, (E)-2-hexenal, benzaldehyde, trans-2-hexen-1-ol, ethyl acetate and ethyl hexanoate are all characteristic aroma substances in sweet cherry fruits. **From this point of view, fresh cherries should also have a light "almond flavor", but it is not as obvious as the essence (in fact, this almond flavor will be slightly more obvious in cherry jam).

Cherry Jam with Lemon Shortbread | DolcettoConfections / FOOD52

Why is there such a big difference between essence and fresh cherries?

First of all, there is a general explanation for this problem: the chemical composition of the aroma of foods such as fruits is actually quite complex, and artificial imitations often only select a small part of it.

If you use methods such as gas chromatography to analyze the volatile substances in fruits, you will get dozens of chemical components. Theoretically, if you can collect all the volatile components and combine them according to the original proportions, you can restore 100% of the real fruit flavor, but doing so is too cost-effective.

A small cherry, with a big secret | Quinn Dombrowski / Flickr

Therefore, most of the actual practices are to focus on a few main ingredients, which will make the flavor have a "fruity taste" but feel different from real fruit. The "simulation degree" of different flavors varies to a certain extent. For example, when one chemical substance (vanillin) occupies an absolute dominant position in the aroma, it is easier to achieve a higher degree of simulation, while **if the composition of the aroma substances is complex, it will be more difficult to restore****. **In addition, those fruit-flavored candies and drinks also have many differences in taste and mouthfeel from real fruits.

How about cherry liqueur? | Ural-mercury.ru

However, compared with other flavors, the gap between cherry essence and fresh cherries seems to be too big. Is there any other hidden reason? One theory is that cherry essence does not imitate fresh cherries, but a pickled dessert - Maraschino cherries. This bright red and sweet pickled cherry often appears in desserts or cocktails. Compared with fresh cherries, it does have a stronger "almond flavor".

Common decorations on cakes | leelanaufrui

The traditional method of making this kind of preserved cherries is to use cherry liqueur (maraschino liqueur). **This kind of cherry liquor is made with both cherry pulp and crushed cherry pits, which makes it have a more obvious "bitter almond flavor" than fresh cherries. **This "almond flavor" has also become the characteristic of maraschino preserved cherries. When this dessert was introduced to the United States, because the original version was scarce and expensive, an alternative version directly used almond extract to flavor the cherries appeared. From this point of view, cherries and "almond flavor" are indeed somewhat destined.

What are the smells of common fragrances?

Banana essence is very similar to the taste of bananas 70 years ago . At that time, the commercial bananas grown all over the world were basically a variety called Gros Michel (Big Mike). Because they could not resist the Panama disease that spread all over the world, they were gradually replaced by Cavendish. Therefore, banana essence tastes different from the bananas we often eat now. As for why most banana-flavored ice creams rarely add bananas or add very little , it is because the tannic acid and some organic acids in bananas combine with dairy products to produce astringency. If bananas are added, many things will also be added to cover up the astringency.

Banana | pixabay

Muskmelon and Hami melon are both melons, and they have some similarities in flavor, making them difficult to distinguish. This has led many flavor manufacturers to confuse Hami melon flavor with cantaloupe flavor, making some cantaloupe flavors taste more like the aroma of cantaloupe core. If one day you eat cantaloupe flavored food and it tastes like cantaloupe, it is very likely that the manufacturers have mixed the flavors wrong again! Damn!

Hami melon | pixabay

Muscat is a well-known white wine. In fact, most flavored white grape juices or white grape juice drinks also have a musky flavor, because white grape juice is usually added with muscat grape essence, which can enhance the unique flavor of white grapes.

Grapes | pixabay

The flavors you eat may not necessarily be added with corresponding flavors

Sometimes, **there may be more than one flavor in a flavor, and other flavors may be added to assist in the flavoring. **For example, when making a hawthorn flavored ice cream, most hawthorn flavors do not have a very good aftertaste, so green apple flavor is added to modify the aftertaste. A little hazelnut flavor is added to many chocolate ice creams to make the chocolate aroma fuller. There is a flavor in ice cream called French vanilla, but France does not produce vanilla at all (except Reunion). In fact, French vanilla is a mixed seasoning based on thyme and bay leaves, and the flavor in French vanilla ice cream imitates the aroma of Bourbon vanilla.

Author: Yunxiang, Air

Cover image source: pixabay

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