What’s in a flavour?

UNDERSTANDING YOUR FOOD<br /> the ultimate educational resource<br /> TEACHER NOTES<br /> <br /> teachers’ notes F1.1<br /> F1. What’s in a flavour<br /> Pupils make vanilla flavoured milky drinks, set up a tasting panel to<br /> judge their flavour and also consider relative costs, etc.<br /> Setting up the tasting panel<br /> Devising taste panels, which will give representative results, is quite a<br /> difficult process. It is obviously better to use as large a number of tasters as<br /> is possible. Suggested questions include asking volunteers to award the<br /> smell, taste and colour of each drink using a scale of 1 - 5, (5 being ‘very<br /> pleasant’ and lower numbers being gradually less pleasant 0.<br /> If each drink is sampled only once by each taster, the three drinks must be<br /> given to each taster in a different order; this compensates for palatability<br /> differences.<br /> A basic rule oftaste panelsis that tasting must always beblind, e.g.<br /> samples arelabelled A, B and C. This eliminates any possibility of bias on<br /> the part of the taster.Hygiene must be taken into consideration. It would<br /> be preferable to supply the tasters with the drinks in small containers, such<br /> as those used for liquid medicines. This would also ensure that each taster<br /> received the same volume of drink.<br /> Other considerations<br /> For the purpose of the exercise, pupils may wish to know the relevant<br /> prices. In 1998, the costs were as follows:<br /> • vanilla pod, £1.77, for a single pod<br /> • vanilla extract, £1.07, for 38ml<br /> • vanilla flavouring, £0.37, for 38ml<br /> On the basis of taste tests and cost, pupils will be able to make<br /> suggestions as to which product should be used to produce a milky drink<br /> which tastes of vanilla. The ingredients labels on each product provide<br /> further discussion points.<br /> • Vanilla pod - does not have a list of ingredients; it contains only the<br /> vanilla pod, which contains around 100 individual flavouring<br /> components.<br /> • Vanilla extract - propylene glycol, water, vanilla extract. The extract<br /> contains the same flavouring components as the pod.<br /> • Vanilla flavouring - water, isopropanol, propylene glycol, colour:<br /> caramel (E150), artificial flavouring substances, flavouring substances<br /> identical to natural substances. Vanilla flavouring contains the most<br /> important flavouring components (approximately 10 of the 100 in a<br /> vanilla pod) in terms of their contribution to flavour.<br /> KS3/4<br /> food technology<br /> Timing - 40 - 60 minutesdepending<br /> on the way the drinks are tested.<br /> One week prior to the investigation,<br /> store 2 vanilla pods in 100g of<br /> ordinary sugar; seal and shake<br /> occasionally. This will produce<br /> ‘vanilla sugar’.<br /> Pupil activity sheet F1 accompanies<br /> this activity.<br /> Requirements<br /> • 25 g of ‘vanilla sugar’<br /> • 50 g of ordinary sugar<br /> • 1.5 dm<br /> 3of milk<br /> • vanilla pods (e.g. Schwartz)<br /> • vanilla extract (e.g.<br /> Supercook*) - natural essence<br /> • vanilla flavouring (e.g. Supercook)<br /> • various containers in which to mix<br /> the drinks, etc.<br /> • small containers to use for<br /> the tasting, e.g. those used<br /> for liquid medicines.<br /> * Supercook are not the only<br /> producers of these products.<br /> However, it is essential that you<br /> obtain a natural extract and a<br /> flavouring.<br /> Propylene glycol is a permitted<br /> additive. It does not have an E-<br /> number, because it is only used as a<br /> solvent (carrier) for other food<br /> additives which are not water soluble<br /> e.g. some flavourings.<br /> Isopropanol is also a permitted<br /> solvent. In this case, it is being<br /> used as an anti- mould agent.<br /> <br /> pupil activity F1 WHATS IN A FLAVOUR?<br /> Probably one of the most important sensations that we gain from the food we eat is<br /> taste. Our sense of taste is really a combination of the sense of taste and the sense<br /> of smell. Our noses, tongues and taste buds are sensitive to many thousands of<br /> different chemicals.<br /> Imagine that you are in charge of the catering for a primary school tuck shop which<br /> looks after children between the ages of 4 -11 years. All of these children like tohave<br /> milky drinks at certain times of the day. Some of the parents of the older children<br /> would like the milky drinks to taste of vanilla.<br /> You can easily buy vanilla in 3 different forms:<br /> •vanilla pods- the part of the plant which contains vanilla;<br /> •extract of vanilla- this is a natural essence produced from vanilla pods;<br /> •vanilla flavouring- this is a 'copy' of vanilla.<br /> Which of these alternatives would be most suitable to be used at the shop?<br /> The following investigation may help you to answer this problem.<br /> Method<br /> One week before the investigation, store 2 vanilla pods in 100 g of ordinary sugar.<br /> Put this into a container with a lid. Shake the container occasionally during the week.<br /> This will make 'vanilla sugar'.<br /> 1.Make up the samples of milky vanilla drinks as follows:<br /> a.Dissolve 25 g of 'vanilla sugar' in 500 cm<br /> 3<br /> of milk.<br /> b.Add 4 drops of natural vanilla extract to 500 cm<br /> 3<br /> of milk. Dissolve 25 g of<br /> ordinarysugar in this milk.<br /> c.Add 2 drops of vanilla flavouring to 500 cm<br /> 3<br /> of milk. Dissolve 25 g of<br /> ordinarysugar in this milk.<br /> 2.Devise atasting testin which you will ask volunteers to compare the 3 drinks.<br /> You must make sure that this is afair test. Think about what questions you will ask<br /> your volunteers.<br /> 3.Find out how much each of the forms of vanilla costs. Comment on this.<br /> 4.Look at the ingredients label on each of the products. Comment on this.<br /> 5.Think about other advantages and disadvantages of each product.<br /> 6.Write a report which details all of your findings and suggests the most suitable way<br /> of producing milky drinks that taste of vanilla.