Food extracts are concentrated substances obtained by extracting extracts from plants or natural food sources. These extracts are obtained by separating the plant components with the help of solvents (usually water, alcohol or oils) and then removing this solvent by evaporation or other methods.
Food extracts are usually obtained from plant extracts, but they can also be from animal or other natural sources. The extraction process is usually done to concentrate certain properties of the plant or source (e.g. aroma, flavour, nutritional value or bioactive components).
Some food extracts commonly used in the food industry may include:
Herb Extracts: Plant extracts are natural ingredients widely used in the food industry and are used to impart flavour, aroma, colour and health benefits to a variety of foods. For example, herbal extracts such as vanilla extract, mint extract, rosemary extract, garlic extract can be used to impart flavour and aroma in foods and beverages.
Fruit Extracts: These are concentrated extracts obtained from fruits and are generally used in the food and beverage industry. These extracts are obtained by various methods to concentrate the essence, flavour, aroma and sometimes colour of the fruit. Users are interested in extracts from lemons, oranges and other fruits.
Flavouring Extracts: Flavouring extracts are concentrated substances usually obtained from natural sources and used to flavour foods. These extracts are generally preferred to improve the flavour of sweet foods and beverages. Plants such as Stevia extract, Vanilla extract, Almond extract are very popular.
