Editing Flavoring (section)

==Taste==
The taste of a food product is not only determined by the aromas present in the original material and added flavorings, but also by accompanying substances like flavor enhancers, [[sweetener]]s, [[acidulant]]s and [[salt substitute]]s. [[Polyol]]s like [[sorbitol]] and [[maltitol]], are carriers in flavorings, but they themselves also have a sweet taste.

Even the color of food can affect one's experience of the taste significantly.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1016/j.concog.2009.08.008 | title = Grape expectations: The role of cognitive influences in color–flavor interactions | year = 2010 | last1 = Shankar | first1 = Maya U. | last2 = Levitan | first2 = Carmel A. | last3 = Spence | first3 = Charles | journal = Consciousness and Cognition | volume = 19 | pages = 380–90 | pmid = 19828330 | issue = 1| s2cid = 32230245 }}</ref>
In one study, adding more [[food color|red color]] to a drink increased the perceived sweetness, with darker colored solutions being rated 2–10% better than lighter ones, though it had 1% less sucrose concentration.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1982.tb12706.x | title = Perceived Sweetness and Redness in Colored Sucrose Solutions | year = 1982 | last1 = Johnson | first1 = J. | last2 = Clydesdale | first2 = F. M. | journal = Journal of Food Science | volume = 47 | issue = 3 | page = 747}}</ref> Food manufacturers exploit this phenomenon; for example, different colors of the U.S. product [[Froot Loops]] cereal and most brands of [[Gummy Bear]]s often use the same flavorings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/01/08/575406711/are-gummy-bear-flavors-just-fooling-our-brains|title=Are Gummy Bear Flavors Just Fooling Our Brains?|first=Ashlie|last=Stevens|work=NPR|date=8 January 2018|access-date=16 January 2018|archive-date=17 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117010102/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/01/08/575406711/are-gummy-bear-flavors-just-fooling-our-brains|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/1477/breaking-breakfast-news-froot-loops-are-all-the-same-flavor/|title=Breaking Breakfast News: Fruit Loops Are All the Same Flavor, after the Mandela effect now known as Froot Loops |author=Locker, Melissa|magazine=Time|date=21 January 2014}}</ref>

=== Flavor enhancers ===
<!-- [[Flavor enhancer]] redirects here; this should be a separate article. -->
Flavor enhancers or taste enhancers, which are [[umami]] or "savory" compounds, are themselves not flavorings, but they intensify the taste of the food. They are largely based on [[amino acid]]s and [[nucleotide]]s. These are typically used as [[sodium]] or [[calcium]] [[salt (chemistry)|salts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glutamate.org/history/100_years_of_taste.html|title=Monosodium Glutamate & Umami|website=International Glutamate Information Service|access-date=3 June 2015|archive-date=25 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625045829/http://www.glutamate.org/history/100_years_of_taste.html}}</ref> Umami flavorings recognized and approved by the European Union include:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foodadditivesworld.com/flavorings.html|title=Flavorings|website=Food Additives|access-date=3 June 2015|archive-date=6 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506054952/http://www.foodadditivesworld.com/flavorings.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Acid salts
!Description
|-
|[[Glutamic acid]] salts
|This amino acid's sodium salt, [[monosodium glutamate]] (MSG), is one of the most commonly used flavor enhancers in food processing. Mono- and diglutamate salts are also commonly used.
|-
|[[Glycine]] salts
|Simple amino acid salts typically combined with glutamic acid as flavor enhancers
|-
|[[Guanylic acid]] (GMP) salts
|Nucleotide salts typically combined with glutamic acid as flavor enhancers
|-
|[[Inosinic acid]] (IMP) salts
|Nucleotide salts created from the breakdown of AMP.<!-- AMP deaminase? Not commonly known to non-specialists? --> Due to high costs of production, typically combined with glutamic acid as flavor enhancers
|-
|5'-[[ribonucleotide]] salts
|A blend of GMP and IMP salts ("I+G"), generally in the [[disodium ribonucleotides]] form; typically combined with amino acids flavor enhancers
|}