Flavoring Substances

Flavoring substances

A group of products used to improve the taste of food. Flavoring substances include spices (pepper, cloves), food acids (citric, acetic), flavorings (vanilla, vanillin, aromatic essences), table salt and others. Flavoring substances, without having any energy value, affect the taste properties of food and improve appetite, digestive processes, and increase intestinal motor function.

When taken with food, flavoring substances have an irritating effect on the olfactory and gustatory nerves, promoting increased secretion of saliva, gastric juice, pancreatic juice and others. Flavoring substances include table salt (sodium chloride), but its meaning is broader. Table salt ensures that the body receives the main amounts of sodium and chlorine, the physiological roles of which are varied.

The need for sodium chloride in an adult is 10-15 g, and in hot climates 25-30 g per day. Of the sodium chloride contained in foods, only 2-5 g enter the body, the rest is due to the addition of table salt. The beneficial properties of flavoring substances appear when they are used in moderation and rationally. For diseases of the liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract, the use of flavoring substances is usually contraindicated.