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I sat in a small office, on an ornate leather chair looking across at a plaque mounted on the wall. The plaque was simple enough, but had a letter and a picture in it. It was a personal letter signed by President Ronald Reagan sending his thanks with a picture of the ex-president smiling and waving. As a personal chef and food writer I never cease to be amazed by all the interesting places I end up in, and the people that I meet. And today was no exception. I was greeted warmly by Mr. Jorge Astorquiza and led to a meeting room where a table lined with different bottles and beakers awaited.

Jorge is the owner and senior Chemist (or “Flavorist”) at Flayco. He came from Cuba in the 60’s and started the flavoring company back in 1975 when he found a need for seasonings amongst the Latin demographic of Florida. The building has a warm Cuban feel and, although it has since grown into a large supplier, it still has that family-owned personality and simplistic Cuban decor. Flayco now manufactures seasonings, sauces, food colors and, my main interest today – food flavors. This was my opportunity to learn the behind-the-scenes art and science of duplicating nature.

A food flavor is usually a liquid that is imbued with the essence (smell and taste) of a particular food. You may be familiar with the most popular food flavor in the world – vanilla. Well, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other flavors. And virtually any food can have its flavor captured.  These are used by food manufacturers, food service companies and even by enthusiastic home bakers (like my grandmother). For a food enthusiast like myself the science that goes behind this is fascinating.

“Mother nature is very unpredictable. You can take two seeds out of one orange,” explains Jorge, “you can plant one seed in Florida and the other seed in California, and although they both come from the same exact fruit, you will get two very different oranges with two very different tastes.” This was his answer to my question of how can you standardize the taste of a fruit. “It is the job of a food chemist,” he continued, “to capture that taste, and by doing that, to stabilize nature.”  This is very important for the food industry. Manufacturers want their foods to taste the same every time. Can you imagine buying your favorite drink, sauce or seasoning and having it taste different every time?

The technology behind capturing and standardizing a food flavor created by nature is a complicated and artful one. We look at the world around us and see apples and pears. But they see something different. Much like a sculptor sees the statue within the marble, the food chemist sees compounds of elements wrapped in texture, fluid and color. They see acids, alcohols, sugars and the many compounds that make up an organic object.

I asked Jorge to take me through the process of capturing the flavor of the a Durian fruit as an example. And although the explanation was quite complex, this is the essence of it: First, the Durian would have to be broken down so as to loosen apart the chemicals and compounds. Then it would be put through machines, like spectrometers, which would heat the Durian to a point where it’s hot enough to glow. It would then measure the different wave patterns of light which emit from the burning Durian that tell the machine what type of materials the fruit is made of. Now Jorge has a good idea of the chemical makeup of the fruit – he literally has a chemical “recipe” for that fruit!

This is the point in the process where the field of Art joins Science. Jorge, using his vast knowledge and decades of experience in chemistry, has to figure out which of those materials he can put back together to make the taste and smell of Durian. Much like a mad-scientist-chef he might now put in a dash of Ethyl Propionate (smells fruity), and a tablespoon of Allyl Hexanoate (smells like Pineapple), stir in some Isoamyl Acetate (smells like banana), a couple of sprinkles of Citric, Malic and Tartaric Acids (taste like citrus fruits, apples and grapes) and he may now have something that smells and tastes just like Durian.

Jorge’s next step would then be to work with his “tasting panel” which are a group of people who have the job of tasting the mixtures to help him fine tune the taste of Durian. So fear not! The job of “food taster” will not be taken over by a machines any time soon. The human tongue is still the most sophisticated chemical sensing machine available. Once he’s got it, he has to preserve it in something like Propylene Glycol and possibly another preservative to keep bacteria from growing in it, and to keep the chemicals balanced.

The process of creating a food flavor is also very close to the process of creating a fragrance. The steps above are practically the same with the exception that, for a fragrance the solution has to be treated in a way that it gives off a lot of smell, and for a food flavor the solution has to be treated in a way that it doesn’t smell. “We have to make sure that when you’re eating a slice of Banana bread that you don’t smell like Bananas for the rest of the day!” Joked Jorge. “It’s the same methods and the same ingredients, but with one, you’re working with your nose and with the other, you’re working with your tongue.”

Flayco manufactures many different flavors for many different demographics in the US. “The most popular flavor for Jewish people is that of Rye Bread, for Latin Americans it’s Guava, Coconut and Tamarind and for Spaniard and Italian customers we manufacture Anis [licorice] flavor.”

When asked about natural flavors versus artificial flavors Jorge told me that it was possible to make both, and in some cases he has clients request flavors made with all natural ingredients. But most food manufacturers look to keep their costs down, and opt for the artificial flavors which can be more concentrated and last longer.

It was great to pick Jorge’s brain for an hour. “I love Chemistry. I love to create. I love this so much that I would do this for free!” explained Jorge very enthusiastically. “A lab is like a kitchen, and the flavors that we make represent the personality of the chemist. Much like a Chef in his kitchen.”

Now that I know what goes into the process of synthesizing nature, I have a different perspective on food. I have come to the realization that my job as a Chef is, really, a form of chemistry.  And  a food chemist is really just a chef with a different set of tools and a slightly different method of arriving at the same taste.  Where as I would buy an apple for my pie, Jorge would make one from scratch!  Oh, and when I asked Jorge about the letter from Ronald Reagan – like many Cubans, he smiled coy and simply said “I enjoy politics!”