Vitiva pitches Inolens for citrus flavours
The Slovenian ingredients firm already offers a clasp of applications for its Inolens line, such as acrylamide reduction and reducing oil rancidity.
It says there is a need to protect citrus flavours because the essential oils, derivatives and citrus components – like citral and d-limonene – are highly susceptible to oxidation.
Citrus flavours are extremely popular in beverages, but according to Vitiva CEO Ohad Cohen, “currently producers use synthetic antioxidants such as BHA and CHT to preserve citrus flavours”.
In his view, however, these “provide inadequate oxidative protection, insufficient shelf-life protection and don’t allow for a clean label”.
“Market trends imply demand for natural beverages continues to rise, and you cannot use synthetic antioxidants in natural beverages,” he said.
The Inolens range is said to have reduced-odour, and to have no impact on taste, odour or colour of citrus flavours or products.
Antioxidant debate
Vitiva says its Inolens is classified as a “natural flavour” by European Council directive 88/388/EEC.
However there are moved afoot for some rosemary extracts to be approved as antioxidants in their own right, after EFSA granted a positive opinion on the safety of rosemary extracts as antioxidants in June.
The petition was made by the European Rosemary Extract Manufacturers Group – Naturex, Raps and Robertet. (Danisco was also a member of the group at the beginning) which, on request from EFSA, has given more details on precisely what rosemary extracts the applicants were proposing should be permitted.
The extracts used in the toxicology studies were high purity, solvent extracts, which were supplied by the companies in the group.
The specifications, which needed to be discussed with the Commission, have not yet been made public, but it is known that water-based extracts are excluded.
