For many of the flavors and fragrances in the market today, a food or beverage manufacturer has the choice between natural and synthetic variants. With the naturally sourced product often being more expensive, the synthetic counterpart is used by many companies. Goren will discuss how biobased content testing (Carbon-14 analysis) offers a means to distinguish between these two sources: natural or synthetic.
By measuring the Carbon-14 content of flavors and fragrances, it can be determined whether the material is naturally or synthetically sourced or if a reported 100% naturally sourced flavor or fragrance has been adulterated.