I used to work at a fast food place and once had a customer ask for a drink with no chemicals in it. I had no idea what he wanted. I tried asking him what specific chemicals he didn't want and he just got angry and left.
"Here, have a cup 'full of' vacuum. Be sure to keep the lid on or else it might get contaminated by nitrogen, which is commonly used in fertilizers and is also in the same group as arsenic, which is a well known poison!"
bunbundabunni "I apologize, but our entire selection of beverages contain a dilution of dihydrogenmonooxide. It's admittedly one of the most dangerous chemical compounds on Earth, proven fatal when inhaled; but in small doses the FDA has found it to be safe and nourishing... So long as it's not inhaled, of course."
You are aware that the the sugar content of diabetes patients was discovered from tasting dog's urine that tasted sweet ? Gustatory testing was quite common in science before more modern safety measures became common. Not to mention that humans are omnivores and in principle can eat or drink most things. And so they do.
Patrick Reding prolly cause slapping natural flavors on it makes it sell better than 'artificial flavors'. Theyll make sure to jump that loophole to make sure that they get that profit boost
If it started out as petroleum, it would still bother me. I'm actually more grossed out by artificial flavors now. Before it was just that natural tasted better. Same price = easy choice.
@@adde9506 Well, everything starts out as something else. You are what you eat, and that's because you're just made of other things. A strawberry, for example, needs soil to grow and to just exist in general, and the soil is necessary because it contains nutrients. The nutrients come from poop and rotting animals, plants, etc. Everything contains and is made of something it got from somewhere else, and that something that leads to being in a living thing which leads to you eating that thing always has to start somewhere. Everything contains something which, at some point, was some very unappealing and possibly deadly chemical. Everything you find in a plant or animal was not always in a plant or animal to begin with. What matters isn't what it was, but what it is. Like how cow milk is made from cow blood, but it's not blood anymore, so it doesn't matter.
The worst part about all of this, if you have some one in your life that has allergies, is that natural flavors can be literally anything animal or plant and they don’t have to tell you what it is. If it says flavoring I just have to put the item down. We need more transparent labeling, but I guess if they have to write crushed up bugs for color or beaver secretion for flavor they are not going to be able to sell as much.
#facts Same goes for the artificial stuff too. Now I know why I always couldn't do artificial vanilla, I'm allergic to all things petroleum. So expensive only vanilla for me or nothing
not really bc i think the process goes beyond just using the natural item, they process it into specific flavor molecules still, removing the terpenes or essence of the original item into a manufactured isolate, i dont think it would trigger allergies as much
Just for some clarification about vanilla: Vanilla beans will taste different because they contain more molecules than just vanillin, but, those molecules get destroyed when heat at high temperatures (like when baking something). Vanillin, meanwhile, is the only flavor that truly remains. That being said, if you're cooking something, always go for artificial vanilla. If you have the opportunity to add vanilla while the product is cold, use natural vanilla. This is why a lot of recipes (such as puddings) call to add vanilla _after_ you're done cooking.
Interesting. But I'm going to disagree here. Not on the science, but on the flavor. I've cooked with both and the natural vanilla definitely tastes better, even cooked. I've never been rich enough to use vanilla seeds or paste, but between the two liquids there is a huge difference. That said, if you personally don't notice a difference, save the money and use vanillin.
in my modest opinion, unless you got the natural stuff that is stronger even if you bake, just don't put anything if it's a cookie or a cake. Honestly, brown sugar has a stronger flavor and since I started to ignore vanilla in those two NO ONE ever noticed the absence of vanilla. They only noticed in sugar cookies because no molasses from brow sugar to overpower.
I'm sorry but that is completely false. Maybe some people don't have the same sensitivity to the flavours in vanilla as I do (I've been baking for most of my life, always from scratch) but I can tell instantly if artificial vanilla was used and it puts me right off. It has a subtle almond like flavour which I absolutely hate. It doesn't even compare to the real stuff and that includes when it is heated.
To all the people saying natural vanilla is better, I'm not disagreeing. At least some of you and probably most of you feel the difference due to the placebo effect. If you read about it or even watch videos from SciShow about how strong the placebo effect is, you might have a different opinion.
@@johnthakidiyel5468 100% not the placebo effect. It took me a few years to realize what the taste was when my bf's family baked, I didn't know they used fake vanilla. I think its proof enough that no good bakery ever has used artificial vanilla because anyone with a sensitive pallet can easily tell the difference. artificial vanilla doesn't taste like the real one at all to me; i get an almond like flavour.
I get it bro these people are totally simple and can appreciate a witty joke like that try and dumb it down for them and I can't believe more people haven't mentioned that Beaver ass taste like vanilla on this comment thread yet I wouldn't be surprised to be walking through the woods now and find someone munching out on a beaver's ass
So nice to see a nuanced discussion about natural vs artificial. It's amazing to me how many people just blindly think if its natural its healthy. In order to save our planet we really need to look at things from all angles to find the best solution
I am so sick of people who mindlessly hate artifical, and things like GMOs or even preservatives. 99% don't know why, but are just sheep for marketing companies. GMOs have saved millions of lives for instance. Organic for instance uses more water, and doesn't automatically make it healthy. People sit there with fruit that has so much sugar content that many zoos stopped giving them it due to getting fat and teeth decay. Many fruits need humans just to grow. I'm just sick of it.
A good example of how natural isn't always better: while domesticated almonds are a tasty snack, wild almonds are poisonous; eating a small amount can expose you to lethal levels of cyanide.
The lovely part of domestication! Still applies to our lovely pets, too. The famous cat and dog are predators, and used to attack us on occassion. Now we call them our friends...development is strange.
If I'm not mistaken, I think I learned somewhere that almonds (including ones labeled raw) are roasted just enough to burn off the cyanide. Of course that leads to the question of what imbecile saw someone die eating an almond and tried to find a way to make them edible. I would have just said, "Well, can't eat those" and gone about my day.
@@robertaylor9218 unripe kernels are an issue, but once ripe they are fine. Just like walnuts, we can buy them unshelled from almost any supermarket during almond season. I suspect people are getting confused with apricot kernels.
Sean Peery That's why people are dumb for picking natural over artificial. If u get anti-matter Twinkies, you could sell them for billions and billions of dollars. I'm surprised they didnt mention this in the video!
Thanks guys for making this video, it drives me insane when people freak out over artificial flavoring like it's the most dangerous thing in the world.
Eddie Torres GMO free is the worst one. Other than some problems with the corporations making them (which isn't a problem w GMOs themselves), there are virtually only benefits as far as the current peer reviewed studies go. It's annoying that fear mongering and misinformation prevents people from buying and supporting more sustainable options. Especially when GMOs might eventually be both healthier and safer if they aren't already.
I think the only way to make artificial salt would be to react it like hydrochloric acid plus sodium hydroxide. But idk maybe they don't consider seawater natural cause it's not a plant or animal, I haven't looked it up
@@dr.suffuzz6383 yeah, we need salt to survive and all, but this is only a way to scape the discussion of if naturally occurring non-biological compounds count as "natural"
@@capivara6094 ? he said in the video that things that add nutritional value aren’t flavours so salt can’t be a natural or artificial flavouring my comment was totally on topic
In my chem class we learned about this, specifically about compounds called esters and the teacher actually mixed some chemicals and made that banana aroma that is characteristic from banana soft candy. It was fun
One of the more eye-opening SciShow vids I’ve watched. Makes sense that mainstream information alludes us to have sort of an associative blame to artificial flavorings/molecules having an inherently negative comparison to natural ones. I didn’t know about The Naturalistic Fallacy. Thanks!
The Naturalistic Fallacy is the most common fallacy out there, you can find it from antivaxers to climate change denial to the organic and palio scams. it is also incrediby anoying.
So if I offered you strychnine, you would consume it, since "we're all chemicals"? Everything is chemicals but some chemicals are still POISON, dumbass lmao
I wish you all had touched on the problem that food companies can use “Natural Flavors” on the label instead of listing the ingredients you’re discussing here. They may not cause reactions in most people, but anyone who is allergic to one of those ingredients can’t buy anything with “Natural Flavors” on the label. Which is nearly everything in a grocery store unless you can afford to do all your shopping at specialty stores.
Why is blue raspberry flavor a thing? Raspberries aren’t blue! For a long time when I was younger I thought there was red raspberries and blue raspberries.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_leucodermis blue raspberries are a real thing. Their flavor is easier to concentrate in candy and offered an alternative for candies to avoid having too many of one color
Well how bout that. I learned more from the comments in this video than in the video itself. Neat. I love blue raspberry. It's nice to be able to say it actually exists.
WEIRD its almost like things that exist in the world are complex and dont fit into neat little boxes and require a great degree of nuance to understand HMMMMNMMNM
i always had a bad taste in my mouth about artificial flavors. this video made me realize that i was completely wrong about the whole subject, and i loved it :)
My mother used to work at a company that produced flavors. She said the main difference between "natural" and "artificial" flavors is that natural flavors a synthesized out of plant oils rather than mineral oils.
I severely doubt most people can't tell the difference between natural and artificial vanilla. I know I can. As you said, it's missing 20% of the flavor of natural vanilla, that one fifth of the overall flavor. That's significant.
As a person with food allergies I have an appreciation for artificial flavours. For example, one of the vitamins I take is a mix of three flavours one of which is strawberry. Since the flavour is made from real strawberries I cannot take those and end up tossing out 1/3 of the bottle. If the flavour was artificial I wouldn't need to worry about strawberry proteins finding their way in.
The organic label has an actual meaning now, though it's not clear what significance it actually has on the environmental impact. It is mostly a way to make products more expensive. Natural is pretty much meaningless on every level.
Hank you forgot licorice root. The real one have this stuff in it. The drug: glycyrrhizin amd it can cause issues. The artificial licorice won't kill you the same way.
I think it was theorized that Napoleon Bonaparte died from licorice poisoning . I remember scientists trying to test his corpse's hair for the molecular concentration of the deadly chemical. Don't know how that turned out.
Vanillin is not the sweet component, actually very much the opposite its very bitter, only when combined with sweeteners do you get the "vanilla" you imagine in your head.
In culinary circles, sweet does not mean sugary sweet. It means pleasant or less bitter. Sweet almonds, for example are not sweet, just less bitter and poisonous than bitter almonds.
I'd contest it does have a sweet flavor (having actually eaten a spoonful of vanilla extract... I don't recommend this) but yes, different than sugar. Still a far cry from bitter flavors like cocoa or coffee.
The reason I dislike artificial is because it tries so hard to be "perfect" in taste and smell to fit the "ideal" image. While natural products change in taste based on seasons, when and where it was harvested. (A strawberry wont ever taste the same but an artificial will always be the exact same)
This reminds me of the argument between "fresh" and frozen vegetables. While it seems that fresh would be the better choice, frozen vegetables can actually be more nutritious than their fresh counterparts because they age from farm to table. Sometimes a Lot, and keeping them looking fresh is more of a problem. I would love if you guys would also do a video on Imitation flavors. Reading those bottles can be an exercise in terror! Thanks for sharing
I love how objective you guys are. So refreshing to hear someone just giving the viewers all the information possible without trying to make them think a certain way. Thank you. Seriously.
That’s why instead of “natural” or “artificial” when available I buy the actual ingredients and make it myself. I enjoy cooking and baking and fresh ingredients are always amazing.
Vanilla has a flavour much richer and tastier than plain vanillin though. So I only buy products with vanilla flower extracts in them and avoid those which only contain vanillin without all the other compounds. Hopefully one day we will be able to artificially produce more of those compounds through biotechnology, making the artificial flavour taste much closer to vanilla extract. Then I'll switch to the artificial flavour.
ita-eng subber it will be possible by engineering microorganism which produce all of those compounds at once, maybe by directly transferring genes for necessary Enzymes. If we could do that we couldone day even copy essential oils, which would be amazing for more affordable surrogates fo expensive oils and Critically endangered plants.
What you fail to address is the set of contaminants that can be present is different when flavors are made in the lab. Things like benzene would be more likely present if the flavor were solvent-extracted, derived from petrochemicals, or produced from toxic reactants. For example, caffeinated drinks had traces of chlorinated hydrocarbons until industry switched to supercritical CO2 extraction. Some artificial sweeteners link chlorine into the "natural" sugar molecule.
I’d like to take a moment to tell everyone that most things we define as “flavors” are smells. You can only taste a few different “flavors” like sweet, sour/bitter, savory, salty… but after losing smell from the flu I can account flavors of jelly belly without smell becomes sweet or cinnamon and that’s basically it
Yep! Celery extract is a way of putting in nitrates without copping to it on the label, and to make matters worse it's harder to control the amount of nitrates when they come from celery extract so they have to put more in and it ends up higher in nitrates than when they use the pure chemicals!
Most of people would like to choose natural flavor rather than artificial one. In my opinion, one of the majority reasons is what will be put could be seen,it means that less mistakes will be made in the process and avoiding greedy business owners put something different that they claimed that are alternative chemical powders as healthy as original but actually will hurt our health. In fact,It is really hardly to discover if those chemical powder are real or not immediately if we are not good at that scientific field.
High5 for mentioning the nature fallacy... I reckon it is one of the most commonly abused belief in developed countries and bio shops and hipster stores capitalize on the benevolence of uneducated people who mean well but all they end up doing is spending the big bucks on some veggies infested by some common fungal pest ending up worse than the non-bio alternative. Same goes for flavourings... I usually defuse this fallacy by offering the believer to go and try a bite of this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria
I don't think I'd call Amanitas a "flavoring", but they are a good example of why "all natural" doesn't mean "healthy". That said, artificial flavoring isn't necessarily better either. Added sugar in foods is bad, but added artificial sweeteners is likely as bad or worse, and those are the most common added flavorings (thankfully, those always are included in the ingredients list, not under the vague "natural and artificial flavors" label). My advice would be to check the ingredients list, and make sure it isn't longer than it needs to be for whatever food you are buying. Some foods will surprise you; raw chicken will usually have around 4 ingredients even though it should obviously just have one, same for most orange juice (though some will just have 2, juice and flavorings, go for that).
Natural Flavoring Chemicals: 1. Vanillin & Ethylvanillin: - Flavor: Characteristic vanilla flavor. - Uses: Vanilla flavoring in products. - Side Effects: Excessive consumption might lead to gastrointestinal discomfort. 2. Limonene: - Flavor: Citrus note, predominantly of orange. - Uses: Citrus flavoring. - Side Effects: Rare, but can cause gastrointestinal issues in high amounts. 3. Linalool: - Flavor: Floral scent. - Uses: Floral notes in food and fragrances. - Side Effects: Potential skin irritant. 4. Cinnamaldehyde: - Flavor: Cinnamon flavor. - Uses: Flavoring in products. - Side Effects: Can cause mouth sores or allergic reactions in some. 5. Citral: - Flavor: Strong lemon aroma. - Uses: Citrus flavorings. - Side Effects: Gastrointestinal discomfort. 6. Eugenol: - Flavor: Clove-like flavor. - Uses: Spice flavorings. - Side Effects: Mouth sores, gum damage, or allergic reactions in high amounts. 7. Menthol: - Flavor: Cool, minty sensation. - Uses: Minty products. - Side Effects: Gastrointestinal issues, allergic reactions. 8. Pyrazines: - Flavor: Toasty, roasted, nutty, or popcorn-like flavors. - Uses: Roasted or nutty notes. - Side Effects: Not commonly associated with side effects. 9. Isovaleric acid: - Flavor: Cheesy, slightly rancid. - Uses: Cheese flavoring. - Side Effects: Gastrointestinal discomfort. 10. Anethole: - Flavor: Licorice or anise aroma. - Uses: Licorice-flavored products. - Side Effects: Potential gastrointestinal discomfort. 11. Sotolone: - Flavor: Maple, caramel, or burnt sugar. - Uses: Sweet, caramel-like notes. - Side Effects: Not commonly associated with side effects. 12. Diacetyl: - Flavor: Buttery flavor. - Uses: Butter flavorings, also found naturally in some fermented beverages. - Side Effects: Inhalation linked to "popcorn lung" in factory workers; ingestion might cause digestive upset. --- Artificial Flavoring Chemicals: 1. 2,3-Butanediol: - Flavor: Precursor to other flavor compounds. - Uses: Used in synthesis, can lead to compounds with buttery flavors. - Side Effects: Might cause gastrointestinal discomfort. 2. Ethyl 2-methylbutyrate: - Flavor: Fruity aroma, reminiscent of apples. - Uses: Enhancing fruity notes in food products. - Side Effects: Potential gastrointestinal discomfort if consumed excessively. 3. Gamma-Decalactone: - Flavor: Rich, peach-like aroma. - Uses: Enhancing fruity and creamy notes. - Side Effects: Excessive consumption might lead to digestive upset. 4. Ethyl butyrate: - Flavor: Fruity aroma, often associated with pineapples or fresh oranges. - Uses: Tropical fruit flavors. - Side Effects: Potential gastrointestinal discomfort if consumed in large amounts. 5. Diacetyl: - Flavor: Buttery flavor and aroma. - Uses: Butter flavorings, present naturally in some fermented beverages. - Side Effects: Inhalation linked to "popcorn lung" in factory workers; ingestion in high amounts might cause digestive upset. 6. Acetoin: - Flavor: Mildly buttery note. - Uses: Adds creamy or buttery dimension to flavorings. - Side Effects: Limited data; potential concerns similar to diacetyl. 7. 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline: - Flavor: Aroma of freshly baked bread, toasted rice, and jasmine rice. - Uses: Imparting toasted or grainy notes. - Side Effects: No known specific adverse effects. 8. Alpha-ionone and Beta-ionone: - Flavor: Violet-like aromas; Beta-ionone is associated with raspberries. - Uses: Fruit and floral flavor formulations. - Side Effects: Gastrointestinal discomfort with excessive intake. 9. Ethyl vanillin: - Flavor: Stronger variant of vanilla flavor. - Uses: Chocolate, baked goods, and perfumes. - Side Effects: Overconsumption might result in gastrointestinal discomfort or headaches. 10. Butyric acid: - Flavor: Unpleasant, rancid butter smell. - Uses: Certain cheese flavors in very small amounts. - Side Effects: Digestive upset with large consumption. 11. Methyl anthranilate: - Flavor: Grape-like aroma. - Uses: Grape-flavored products. - Side Effects: Gastrointestinal discomfort and potential skin irritation. 12. Benzaldehyde: - Flavor: Bitter almond or cherry-like flavor. - Uses: Almond extracts and cherry flavorings. - Side Effects: Gastrointestinal symptoms, dizziness, or respiratory depression in very high amounts.
Labels need to be more specific about what ingredients are in the food rather than using catch-all terms like "artifical flavors" or "natural flavors". If they're going to go that route they might as well replace their ingredients list with "Ingredients: Stuff"
As a chemist who worked in the flavour and fragrance industry for ten years I found that while this clears up some of the differences between natural and artificial flavours it doesn't tell the full story.
Yeah, I think all natural is a lot better. I don't think something made from petroleum and other chemicals should be put in anyone's body. I don't think it's a fallacy to believe that made in the lab is not as good as made in nature, unless you're going for poison. Processed food is still processed food, even if it does have "all natural" ingredients, including juices.
Another factor in some cases is chirality. Synthetic methods tend to produce a mix of left- and right-handed molecules in equal amounts, while biological processes are more likely to produce 100% left-handed. The two different forms can have dramatically different effects.
My cooking/baking advice is to just add the thing. If you want your food to taste like orange, for example, just add orange instead of orange flavor regardless of where it came. For buying stuff, they're almost the same so do as you please.
I believe the same reason you gave for the more nuanced flavor of real Vanilla is also why some people can eat foods with natural nitrates but not the artificially made sodium nitrates. Nitrates are notorious for triggering migraines in a lot of people, but only the artificial ones. I know this from personal experience along with talking to other migraine people. I suspect in the natural form, like celery juice or powder, the other components modify how the nitrates respond in the body.
I can't count how many times I've paid more for certain brands of ice cream because they were "naturally" flavored. Going forward, I'll buy the other stuff! Thank you for this informative and useful video.
I remember making bana and mint flavorings in college chem lab. Another interesting twist is artificial maple syrup is usually naturally flavored with fenugreek extract
Has SciShow ever done a video about food dyes? I always see people saying food dyes are awful and effect behavior, and I'm curious what the scientific view is there. I can of course research on my own, but I love SciShow 😛
Noah Steinorth I don't know, but there is a video about why people take their clothes off when they get freezing cold. I'd like to know the answer to yout question as well.
sirdeadlock I'm not sure but if I had to guess, your body slows down it's rate of respiration, as it produces heat as a byproduct, but this in turn reduces the amount of chemical energy being released, making you feel more tired.
Personally I think that the way we use the word "natural" most of the time is not very useful. I mean where is the line supposed to be drawn? If we take a chemical from a plant, break it down, then reconstitute it as it was, what would it be? The way I use the word natural when talking scientifically is very simple... If the laws on the universe (i.e. laws of nature) allow it, then it's natural, if not, then it's not natural.
i guess we have a generic (if incorrect) definition of 'unnatural', not based in science, but in 'common knowledge'. Like there is not such a thing as a 'fish' (its not a biological classification), but if i say fish you instinctively know what im talking about. Like cephalopods are considered fish, mollusks are considred fish, and to be fair, penguins, dolphins and beavers were seen as fish not long ago (and still tecnically are, because the classification is so lax its easier to point to what is _not_ a fish than describe one)
Apperantelly, a lot people don't watch the video properly. No, Hank never said that vanillin replaces vanilla entirely. What he actually said is that the *vanillin in vanilla* is the same molecule as synthesised vanillin, not vanilla altogether. In fact, he mentions at 4:30 that vanillin is the *main component* but not the only flavour.
Artificial watermelon candy taste different then freshly cut watermelon. But I love both. Watermelon taste like crunchy water but artificial watermelon is just sweet and delicious.
kd1s Well, they're not good for a body, but nobody's going to keel over after eating them. That's the main question it seeks to address. There's a whole country of people to feed, not including the rest of the world. The line had to be drawn and not immediately dangerous seemed to be the boundary line.
Love SciShow, but there are issues with this one. It feels like you've taken an accurate observation (chemicals are the same whether synthetic or natural) and extrapolated to a conclusion that doesn't quite hold up in the real world. Take the vanilla example. Yes, vanillin is the main component of the flavor in vanilla, but in real vanilla there's over 250 compounds in varying quantities that give a true vanilla flavor. In reality, Vanillin on its own taste very, very different from natural vanilla and despite what you say, pretty much everyone can tell them apart. To synthesize all the other compounds in real vanilla and add them to the mix might well be possible, but it would be highly inefficient. The same is true for almost all natural flavors. You might be able recreate a few very broad flavor notes with artificial flavors but it's rarely cost effective (or environmentally effective) to try to replicate flavors *accurately*. So you'll get cheap, mass produced products with "fake" strawberry, banana or vanilla flavors, but they never taste like the real thing. To use a musical analogy, it's like comparing a 19970s monophonic Nokia ringtone with a full symphony orchestra. You might be able to recognize the tune on the Nokia, but it's no substitute for the orchestra. There's obviously nothing morally wrong with artificial flavors at all. But in terms of both chemistry and flavor they are quite different from their natural counterparts.
I don't see that as an issue, as they addressed this in the show, specifically the vanilla and strawberry ones; the show explicitly states about 80% of flavor comes from the actual vanilla compound (ok, I forget the name) and the rest from other compounds that can't be easily produced artificially. Similarly for Strawberry it flat out states that the taste isn't the same, because of periphery compounds in the strawberry not duplicated in a simple artificial flavoring-sugar mix. With your musical analogy, I'd say it's closer to listening to a symphony live... or on a professional recording on your phone. Yes the former will be better, but the latter has a lot of advantages that are well worth the decrease in quality, and most consumers won't be able to tell the difference anyway.
except that it might one day be extremely efficient to artificially synthesize all these compounds and have full blown vanilla and strawberry etc for cheaper and quicker and less environmental impact.
If I need Vanilla extract for baking... I make homemade vanilla extract using vodka, a vanilla pod and a dark coloured glass bottle to protect it from light... 1) it tastes wayyyyyy better than even the mass produced & expensive extracts you can get in supermarkets or online... 2) it is SUPER easy to make yourself! Which means as long as I can get hold of dried vanilla pods; I will never need to buy vanilla extract again!😊💗
@daisy Pickett - Not cheap and cheerful “paint stripper” but it really doesn’t have to be super expensive vodka either, Smirnoff quality is good, as the vanilla totally takes over the vodka taste anyway... however, use the best vanilla pods you can afford - the latest one I made was with vanilla I found in the supermarket - it was the “fancier” one that cost me roughly £4-5 for a couple of pods, but it is better than the shop bought by far....! I make smaller batches, because I am still experimenting but one vanilla pod is enough for a small 50cl bottle - which will last quite a while if you don’t bake all that often... if you do bake often, I would use a bigger bottle with enough pods to suit the bottle size - if it’s not strong enough you can always add another pod; but if it’s too strong then you’ll need an extra bottle and more vodka! 😋 Don’t just add the pod to the vodka, you need to slice it open, scrape out the seeds onto tip of a knife and out them in the vodka, then break/crush the pods and put them into the vodka, give it a good shake and leave it in a cupboard for at least 1-2months or it to work its magic - the longer it sits, the better it tastes....😊💗
@@CharliStar THANK YOU!! I first heard of this many years ago, but i've been procrastinating all this time (knowing i'd save money making my own vanilla). I'm going to try this ASAP!
* Rewatching old videos* "Vanillin, I beat you Hank I win!" -Also Me "oh, that's where I learned this." I apologize to everyone who taught me this, I forgot it was you who taught me this. This channel has taught me so much
I want this spread far and wide. I was out with my diabetic mother and she grabbed some gum and said "well it doesnt have any artifical sweetner so its fine for a diabetic." I turned it over and pointed out cane sugar was the first ingredient. After all, i pointed out, sugar is as natural as it gets. It doesnt mean its a good thing to eat. On a similar note can you do a video about how misleading "no added sugar" labels are. I have never seen a "no sugar added" product that doesnt contain added sugar, just with a different name, like corn syrup or fructose-dextrose. This goes beyond disceptive marketing, it can be seriously dangerous for diabetics!
If vanilla orchids wee THAT annoying, the flavor would be more often artificial than it is today. The plant is finicky, but as orchids go, not terribly so. The big issue with vanilla orchids is that they are vine forming and wild types typically only flower once they are roughly 100' long. Those flowers typically last only a few days at most. Wild and cultivated vanilla, therefore, is often pollinated by human hands-people who are excellent tree climbers. The vanilla flavor comes from the fermented seeds of the fertilized seed pod. This, ironically, is the thing that helped me become TOTALLY OBSESSED with orchids. Sigh.
Yes on vanilla, real is better, and you may like one source better than another. Mexican is different from Madagascar, and the Tahiti vanilla is also different. It's fun to do a 3 way test to find the one you like best.
That explains why I absolutely hate artificial strawberry in my candies or my e-liquid. I never even knew that artificial strawberry was so hard to make. Hmm.... and many people look at me crazy when I tell them, “I don’t like artificial strawberry,” I get a silly look, although my tastebuds notice that it doesn’t taste right, and has a gross aftertaste for me personally.
I find the vanilla flavor statistic strangely comforting. I have narcolepsy, and I've seen it said by fairly reliable sources that only 80% of function can be regained through medication. But...well, artificial vanilla is only eighty percent of the original vanilla taste, and lots of people like it. *I* like it. I don't understand why liking vanilla is bringing me to tears, not fully. But thank you.
I used to work at a fast food place and once had a customer ask for a drink with no chemicals in it. I had no idea what he wanted. I tried asking him what specific chemicals he didn't want and he just got angry and left.
livid sphincter Shoulda given them a cup of water and warned there was h2o chemicals in it.
"Here, have a cup 'full of' vacuum. Be sure to keep the lid on or else it might get contaminated by nitrogen, which is commonly used in fertilizers and is also in the same group as arsenic, which is a well known poison!"
bunbundabunni "I apologize, but our entire selection of beverages contain a dilution of dihydrogenmonooxide. It's admittedly one of the most dangerous chemical compounds on Earth, proven fatal when inhaled; but in small doses the FDA has found it to be safe and nourishing... So long as it's not inhaled, of course."
He probably meant synthetic chemicals, in which case it's unlikely the fast food restaurant even had any available apart from water.
“I’m sorry sir, all our products contain dihydrogen monoxide”
I admire the bravery of the men and women that discovered the vanilla taste of beaver butt.
Not all heroes wear capes
MrHeavy466 your comment legit made me giggle out loud
You are aware that the the sugar content of diabetes patients was discovered from tasting dog's urine that tasted sweet ? Gustatory testing was quite common in science before more modern safety measures became common.
Not to mention that humans are omnivores and in principle can eat or drink most things. And so they do.
Lick da peepee.
Creeps were really out there eating beaver cheeks
These terms are extremely loaded. Nobody would have an issue with "hand-crafted artisanal flavour".
Patrick Reding prolly cause slapping natural flavors on it makes it sell better than 'artificial flavors'. Theyll make sure to jump that loophole to make sure that they get that profit boost
That is literally what I just implied.
prolly?
If it started out as petroleum, it would still bother me. I'm actually more grossed out by artificial flavors now. Before it was just that natural tasted better. Same price = easy choice.
@@adde9506 Well, everything starts out as something else. You are what you eat, and that's because you're just made of other things. A strawberry, for example, needs soil to grow and to just exist in general, and the soil is necessary because it contains nutrients. The nutrients come from poop and rotting animals, plants, etc. Everything contains and is made of something it got from somewhere else, and that something that leads to being in a living thing which leads to you eating that thing always has to start somewhere. Everything contains something which, at some point, was some very unappealing and possibly deadly chemical. Everything you find in a plant or animal was not always in a plant or animal to begin with. What matters isn't what it was, but what it is. Like how cow milk is made from cow blood, but it's not blood anymore, so it doesn't matter.
I had an ice cream saying "Made with REAL ingredients !"
That makes me imagine an ice cream saying made with all fictional ingredients
The fact that they even listed that as a selling point would make me suspicious.
As opposed to imaginary ingredients
Thank goodness they weren't fake ingredients
@林 REAL atoms! 😂
The worst part about all of this, if you have some one in your life that has allergies, is that natural flavors can be literally anything animal or plant and they don’t have to tell you what it is. If it says flavoring I just have to put the item down. We need more transparent labeling, but I guess if they have to write crushed up bugs for color or beaver secretion for flavor they are not going to be able to sell as much.
#facts
Same goes for the artificial stuff too. Now I know why I always couldn't do artificial vanilla, I'm allergic to all things petroleum. So expensive only vanilla for me or nothing
not really bc i think the process goes beyond just using the natural item, they process it into specific flavor molecules still, removing the terpenes or essence of the original item into a manufactured isolate, i dont think it would trigger allergies as much
Just for some clarification about vanilla:
Vanilla beans will taste different because they contain more molecules than just vanillin, but, those molecules get destroyed when heat at high temperatures (like when baking something). Vanillin, meanwhile, is the only flavor that truly remains. That being said, if you're cooking something, always go for artificial vanilla. If you have the opportunity to add vanilla while the product is cold, use natural vanilla.
This is why a lot of recipes (such as puddings) call to add vanilla _after_ you're done cooking.
Interesting. But I'm going to disagree here. Not on the science, but on the flavor. I've cooked with both and the natural vanilla definitely tastes better, even cooked. I've never been rich enough to use vanilla seeds or paste, but between the two liquids there is a huge difference. That said, if you personally don't notice a difference, save the money and use vanillin.
in my modest opinion, unless you got the natural stuff that is stronger even if you bake, just don't put anything if it's a cookie or a cake. Honestly, brown sugar has a stronger flavor and since I started to ignore vanilla in those two NO ONE ever noticed the absence of vanilla. They only noticed in sugar cookies because no molasses from brow sugar to overpower.
I'm sorry but that is completely false. Maybe some people don't have the same sensitivity to the flavours in vanilla as I do (I've been baking for most of my life, always from scratch) but I can tell instantly if artificial vanilla was used and it puts me right off. It has a subtle almond like flavour which I absolutely hate. It doesn't even compare to the real stuff and that includes when it is heated.
To all the people saying natural vanilla is better, I'm not disagreeing. At least some of you and probably most of you feel the difference due to the placebo effect. If you read about it or even watch videos from SciShow about how strong the placebo effect is, you might have a different opinion.
@@johnthakidiyel5468 100% not the placebo effect. It took me a few years to realize what the taste was when my bf's family baked, I didn't know they used fake vanilla. I think its proof enough that no good bakery ever has used artificial vanilla because anyone with a sensitive pallet can easily tell the difference. artificial vanilla doesn't taste like the real one at all to me; i get an almond like flavour.
Cause of death:
Popcorn lung.
Even I won't blame someone for laughing at my funeral.
blackbeard teach Now I have to google if anyone has actually died from this and how much money their family was awarded.
@blackbeard teach if you vape, there's a chance you can develop popcorn lung.
@@metachirality
well technically, it still does, but only with massive amounts of artificial butter flavoring
blackbeard teach why not plan for everyone in attendance to bring a bag of popcorn to eat as you’re being interred? Heh
@@kauekairony990 'Tis but ter flavoring.
Sooo beaver sex is totally vanilla?
what does vanalla mean as in game terms?"I'm doing the vanalli verson?",does it mean nature?,like first?
the night hAunter war/russian/aidan/doctor/doyle like vintage, old or original
I get it bro these people are totally simple and can appreciate a witty joke like that try and dumb it down for them and I can't believe more people haven't mentioned that Beaver ass taste like vanilla on this comment thread yet I wouldn't be surprised to be walking through the woods now and find someone munching out on a beaver's ass
I thought the beaver was at the front? ;~)
Vanilla in game terms mean that it is not modded
So nice to see a nuanced discussion about natural vs artificial. It's amazing to me how many people just blindly think if its natural its healthy. In order to save our planet we really need to look at things from all angles to find the best solution
I like asbestos and radon because they are 100% natural.
I am so sick of people who mindlessly hate artifical, and things like GMOs or even preservatives. 99% don't know why, but are just sheep for marketing companies.
GMOs have saved millions of lives for instance. Organic for instance uses more water, and doesn't automatically make it healthy.
People sit there with fruit that has so much sugar content that many zoos stopped giving them it due to getting fat and teeth decay. Many fruits need humans just to grow.
I'm just sick of it.
A good example of how natural isn't always better: while domesticated almonds are a tasty snack, wild almonds are poisonous; eating a small amount can expose you to lethal levels of cyanide.
The lovely part of domestication! Still applies to our lovely pets, too. The famous cat and dog are predators, and used to attack us on occassion. Now we call them our friends...development is strange.
If I'm not mistaken, I think I learned somewhere that almonds (including ones labeled raw) are roasted just enough to burn off the cyanide. Of course that leads to the question of what imbecile saw someone die eating an almond and tried to find a way to make them edible. I would have just said, "Well, can't eat those" and gone about my day.
@@fireriffs sorry mate, but have been eating almonds straight from the tree for 50+ years. No heating involved..
@@nufgorf And many people survive eating apricot seeds, but a blood test will show they suffer from cyanide poisoning, and deaths are not unheard of.
@@robertaylor9218 unripe kernels are an issue, but once ripe they are fine. Just like walnuts, we can buy them unshelled from almost any supermarket during almond season. I suspect people are getting confused with apricot kernels.
"Natural" flavoring. Natural to what? The universe? Am I gonna get some anti-matter Twinkies if they are artificially flavored?
Yes
Sean Peery
That's why people are dumb for picking natural over artificial. If u get anti-matter Twinkies, you could sell them for billions and billions of dollars. I'm surprised they didnt mention this in the video!
I would probably still buy anti-matter twinkies 🤑
I’d be throwing antimatter twinkies at certain people for reasons.
taste so good it will literally neutralize the atom in your mouth and explode
Thanks guys for making this video, it drives me insane when people freak out over artificial flavoring like it's the most dangerous thing in the world.
same goes with people preferring "organic"
Or "non-GMO"
Eddie Torres yeah
Eddie Torres GMO free is the worst one. Other than some problems with the corporations making them (which isn't a problem w GMOs themselves), there are virtually only benefits as far as the current peer reviewed studies go. It's annoying that fear mongering and misinformation prevents people from buying and supporting more sustainable options. Especially when GMOs might eventually be both healthier and safer if they aren't already.
D.I.C.E Daddy EXACTLY!
Is salt an artificial flavour? Also: "Mmm, tasty. What is it?" Beaver bum.
I think the only way to make artificial salt would be to react it like hydrochloric acid plus sodium hydroxide. But idk maybe they don't consider seawater natural cause it's not a plant or animal, I haven't looked it up
i think it’s not technically a flavour because it adds nutritional value
@@dr.suffuzz6383 yeah, we need salt to survive and all, but this is only a way to scape the discussion of if naturally occurring non-biological compounds count as "natural"
@@capivara6094 ? he said in the video that things that add nutritional value aren’t flavours so salt can’t be a natural or artificial flavouring my comment was totally on topic
In my chem class we learned about this, specifically about compounds called esters and the teacher actually mixed some chemicals and made that banana aroma that is characteristic from banana soft candy. It was fun
"it's all natural" Well so is Skunk piss but i don't want it in or on my body
i do
Forget natural or artificial flavours. I'm an advocate of inorganic food.
Steel steaks and mercuric oxide flakes. Yum.
Tasty!
G G i mean gold its inert so it goes straight through the body not doing anything, they just get the chance to say they're so rich they poop gold
I'm more into organometallic food. I have breakfast with a fresh glass of dimethylmercury.
Eat your heart out, ethanol. Dimethylmercury is much more efficient at killing brain cells.
Combat King 0 It's also far more efficient at just killing you altogether.
One of the more eye-opening SciShow vids I’ve watched. Makes sense that mainstream information alludes us to have sort of an associative blame to artificial flavorings/molecules having an inherently negative comparison to natural ones. I didn’t know about The Naturalistic Fallacy. Thanks!
The Naturalistic Fallacy is the most common fallacy out there, you can find it from antivaxers to climate change denial to the organic and palio scams.
it is also incrediby anoying.
Also I love it when people are "well I don't want chemicals in my food or drink"
Congratulations, you are just a walking pack of chemicals
So if I offered you strychnine, you would consume it, since "we're all chemicals"? Everything is chemicals but some chemicals are still POISON, dumbass lmao
Clay Owlglass lol salt has poisonous chemicals in it, why you use it in food then lol
Better get that water out
@@chironOwlglass oh?
@@chironOwlglass Do you know how we created sugar syrup?
No?
Some guy mixed 2 poison tasted it and found out it was sweet
I wish you all had touched on the problem that food companies can use “Natural Flavors” on the label instead of listing the ingredients you’re discussing here. They may not cause reactions in most people, but anyone who is allergic to one of those ingredients can’t buy anything with “Natural Flavors” on the label. Which is nearly everything in a grocery store unless you can afford to do all your shopping at specialty stores.
I would choose natruficial
That isn't *beneficial* ;P
mmmm deliciougusting
Natruficial would be a great way to express that it is artificially made, but chemically identical to the natural flavourings
ahahaha
😂😂😂
Why is blue raspberry flavor a thing? Raspberries aren’t blue! For a long time when I was younger I thought there was red raspberries and blue raspberries.
Shaun Todd blueberry
Its actually a flower thats related to blackberries
The fruit that "blue raspberry" is supposed to taste like is actually a very dark purple. The candy is blue because it's fun to look at.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_leucodermis blue raspberries are a real thing. Their flavor is easier to concentrate in candy and offered an alternative for candies to avoid having too many of one color
Well how bout that. I learned more from the comments in this video than in the video itself. Neat. I love blue raspberry. It's nice to be able to say it actually exists.
More people should watch this
To quote Tim Minchin, "EVERYTHING IS CHEMICALS!!!"
This sounds similar to those juices that print "Made with 100% Juice" on the label.
Which means that "100% Juice" is *one* of the ingredients.
My mom told me the beaver butt fact when I was 9, eating ice cream. :’)
Yum
Wow just wow
on one side, I'd love to have a mom like this; on the other side, I would not!
Perfect timing.
WEIRD its almost like things that exist in the world are complex and dont fit into neat little boxes and require a great degree of nuance to understand HMMMMNMMNM
You just have to add a 3rd box for stuff farmed from microbes.
"It's possible some flavorings have minor long-term negative health effects we just don't know about"
I'd put money on it...
i always had a bad taste in my mouth about artificial flavors. this video made me realize that i was completely wrong about the whole subject, and i loved it :)
One thing I love about this show is that I can have it play in the background and not have to watch it just "listen".....
That's just an amazing video.. I simply, didn't want it to end. Thank you for the consistent quality and the useful information.
My mother used to work at a company that produced flavors. She said the main difference between "natural" and "artificial" flavors is that natural flavors a synthesized out of plant oils rather than mineral oils.
I severely doubt most people can't tell the difference between natural and artificial vanilla. I know I can. As you said, it's missing 20% of the flavor of natural vanilla, that one fifth of the overall flavor. That's significant.
3:20 But paper pulp comes from plants, right?
Wouldn't the plant/animal definition mean that sea salt is an artificial flavour?
Joshua Collins any salt is, none of it comes from an animal or a plant.
@@NH2112 So salt isn't a natural flavouring?
@@joshuacollins385 The FDA considers Salt an ingredient, not a flavor.
As a person with food allergies I have an appreciation for artificial flavours. For example, one of the vitamins I take is a mix of three flavours one of which is strawberry. Since the flavour is made from real strawberries I cannot take those and end up tossing out 1/3 of the bottle. If the flavour was artificial I wouldn't need to worry about strawberry proteins finding their way in.
Literally always wanted to know the difference
Chestnut Bulldog organic, natural etc... is an excuse to make things more expensive.
zombie blood thanks!
Chestnut Bulldog no problem.
me too.
The organic label has an actual meaning now, though it's not clear what significance it actually has on the environmental impact. It is mostly a way to make products more expensive. Natural is pretty much meaningless on every level.
Hank you forgot licorice root. The real one have this stuff in it. The drug: glycyrrhizin amd it can cause issues. The artificial licorice won't kill you the same way.
The "artificial licorice" uses natural flavors like anise and fennel oil
Interesting.
I think it was theorized that Napoleon Bonaparte died from licorice poisoning . I remember scientists trying to test his corpse's hair for the molecular concentration of the deadly chemical. Don't know how that turned out.
@@naturalnashuan "Licorice poisoning" Never heard of that before. Interesting.
The same way?! How DOES it kill you then? 🤨
This video is one of the most informative yet. I love everything Hank and John make. Thank you SCISHOW. For all your hardwork. 💕
I'm actually avoiding natural flavours since I don't want trees to die just so my cookies have the flavour of cinnamon
When someone prattles on to me about wanting things to be totally natural, I suggest strychnine as it grows naturally on trees!
Vanillin is not the sweet component, actually very much the opposite its very bitter, only when combined with sweeteners do you get the "vanilla" you imagine in your head.
Same with chocolate
In culinary circles, sweet does not mean sugary sweet. It means pleasant or less bitter. Sweet almonds, for example are not sweet, just less bitter and poisonous than bitter almonds.
@Thanatos aromas can't have a taste
I'd contest it does have a sweet flavor (having actually eaten a spoonful of vanilla extract... I don't recommend this) but yes, different than sugar. Still a far cry from bitter flavors like cocoa or coffee.
I can attest, I thought Vanilla tasted so good as a kid I straight up tried to drink the extract. All I got was intense regret.
"Super kill you" I found that phrase to be more funny than I should have lol
Kill kill is better.
The fact that they have to do a video explaining the intricacies of all this in the first place speaks volumes.
The reason I dislike artificial is because it tries so hard to be "perfect" in taste and smell to fit the "ideal" image.
While natural products change in taste based on seasons, when and where it was harvested. (A strawberry wont ever taste the same but an artificial will always be the exact same)
Most natural flavors are also dramatically processed to get towards a consistent ideal. They don’t just use a strawberry for natural strawberry flavor
@@Tinyvalkyrie410 In this day of age anything mass consumer product is processed until proven not.
So when I say natural I mean actual fruit
The snozberries taste like snozberries!
OMG you made my day!! :)
Who ever heard of a snozberry?
When discussing natural flavors, I've been using the term "beaver butt" for years! I'm glad to see it shared with the world!!!! Thank you!
Artificial strawberry is different, but the one I was expecting was grape.
Candies with artificial grape flavor always remind me of grape cough medicine
This reminds me of the argument between "fresh" and frozen vegetables. While it seems that fresh would be the better choice, frozen vegetables can actually be more nutritious than their fresh counterparts because they age from farm to table. Sometimes a Lot, and keeping them looking fresh is more of a problem. I would love if you guys would also do a video on Imitation flavors. Reading those bottles can be an exercise in terror! Thanks for sharing
I love how objective you guys are. So refreshing to hear someone just giving the viewers all the information possible without trying to make them think a certain way. Thank you. Seriously.
Uhm excuse me? They are obviously promoting artificial flavors here. Are you that easily manipulated? God...
@@Ganara426 not really manipulation though when they are just giving facts. just turns out the facts are biased away from natural = good.
Now I need a video on popcorn lung NOW
That’s why instead of “natural” or “artificial” when available I buy the actual ingredients and make it myself. I enjoy cooking and baking and fresh ingredients are always amazing.
do you buy beaver butt and make a dish urself
That's an understandable idea, but what if the ingredients themselves are labeled "natural" or "artificial"?
Your dp says a lot bout you
But it contains lots of chemicals though.
So how do you make vanilla extract? You buy the beans? or grow the plant?
I have a suggestion for a video. How could we, theoretically, extinguish the sun?
With our current resources and technology or in the future?
Vanilla has a flavour much richer and tastier than plain vanillin though. So I only buy products with vanilla flower extracts in them and avoid those which only contain vanillin without all the other compounds.
Hopefully one day we will be able to artificially produce more of those compounds through biotechnology, making the artificial flavour taste much closer to vanilla extract. Then I'll switch to the artificial flavour.
ita-eng subber it will be possible by engineering microorganism which produce all of those compounds at once, maybe by directly transferring genes for necessary Enzymes.
If we could do that we couldone day even copy essential oils, which would be amazing for more affordable surrogates fo expensive oils and Critically endangered plants.
A much-needed video on "natural" and artificial flavorings.
Hank, love the work you're doing. Good subject and well explained.
I always like to say. “ tigers are natural”
So is cyanide
Tiger nuts are the best
I don't get it
@@GewelReal He's saying that Tigers are natural and they can kill you
I don’t care what they mean, they both taste good.
Garry Lawson 1st
Yeah, I eat grass!
Generally
Recognized
As
Safe
Stuff
That depends, is it organic grass? :P
I smoke grass
unless it was sprayed with round-up, of course, and as I understand it only animals born to war it can digest it, not humans
Oh so you don’t live in the USA?
What you fail to address is the set of contaminants that can be present is different when flavors are made in the lab. Things like benzene would be more likely present if the flavor were solvent-extracted, derived from petrochemicals, or produced from toxic reactants. For example, caffeinated drinks had traces of chlorinated hydrocarbons until industry switched to supercritical CO2 extraction. Some artificial sweeteners link chlorine into the "natural" sugar molecule.
I’d like to take a moment to tell everyone that most things we define as “flavors” are smells. You can only taste a few different “flavors” like sweet, sour/bitter, savory, salty… but after losing smell from the flu I can account flavors of jelly belly without smell becomes sweet or cinnamon and that’s basically it
Same with "nitrate free" bacon
Yep! Celery extract is a way of putting in nitrates without copping to it on the label, and to make matters worse it's harder to control the amount of nitrates when they come from celery extract so they have to put more in and it ends up higher in nitrates than when they use the pure chemicals!
Wayne Searle well....
Nitrite?
If I'm not mistaken nitrates and/or nitrites are used for various cured foods; saying only nitrates was intended as shorthand
Most of people would like to choose natural flavor rather than artificial one. In my opinion, one of the majority reasons is what will be put could be seen,it means that less mistakes will be made in the process and avoiding greedy business owners put something different that they claimed that are alternative chemical powders as healthy as original but actually will hurt our health. In fact,It is really hardly to discover if those chemical powder are real or not immediately if we are not good at that scientific field.
Thanks for explaining the facts behind natural and artificial flavors
I love how you list your sources.
Non-binary flavor
Physics Only
You could say it's not a good byte anymore.
Flavor-fluid
*i wANt a NoN-bInaRy sOy lAtTe, 1¹O deGgrEes*
*culture intensifies*
I love Cis-vanilla flavour
Whenever I go grocery shopping, I head straight for the artificially flavored and GMO section.
that's pretty much becoming the whole store
@@24get24give good. i love gmos. amazing feat of human ingenuity.
High5 for mentioning the nature fallacy... I reckon it is one of the most commonly abused belief in developed countries and bio shops and hipster stores capitalize on the benevolence of uneducated people who mean well but all they end up doing is spending the big bucks on some veggies infested by some common fungal pest ending up worse than the non-bio alternative. Same goes for flavourings... I usually defuse this fallacy by offering the believer to go and try a bite of this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria
I don't think I'd call Amanitas a "flavoring", but they are a good example of why "all natural" doesn't mean "healthy". That said, artificial flavoring isn't necessarily better either. Added sugar in foods is bad, but added artificial sweeteners is likely as bad or worse, and those are the most common added flavorings (thankfully, those always are included in the ingredients list, not under the vague "natural and artificial flavors" label). My advice would be to check the ingredients list, and make sure it isn't longer than it needs to be for whatever food you are buying. Some foods will surprise you; raw chicken will usually have around 4 ingredients even though it should obviously just have one, same for most orange juice (though some will just have 2, juice and flavorings, go for that).
Natural Flavoring Chemicals:
1. Vanillin & Ethylvanillin:
- Flavor: Characteristic vanilla flavor.
- Uses: Vanilla flavoring in products.
- Side Effects: Excessive consumption might lead to gastrointestinal discomfort.
2. Limonene:
- Flavor: Citrus note, predominantly of orange.
- Uses: Citrus flavoring.
- Side Effects: Rare, but can cause gastrointestinal issues in high amounts.
3. Linalool:
- Flavor: Floral scent.
- Uses: Floral notes in food and fragrances.
- Side Effects: Potential skin irritant.
4. Cinnamaldehyde:
- Flavor: Cinnamon flavor.
- Uses: Flavoring in products.
- Side Effects: Can cause mouth sores or allergic reactions in some.
5. Citral:
- Flavor: Strong lemon aroma.
- Uses: Citrus flavorings.
- Side Effects: Gastrointestinal discomfort.
6. Eugenol:
- Flavor: Clove-like flavor.
- Uses: Spice flavorings.
- Side Effects: Mouth sores, gum damage, or allergic reactions in high amounts.
7. Menthol:
- Flavor: Cool, minty sensation.
- Uses: Minty products.
- Side Effects: Gastrointestinal issues, allergic reactions.
8. Pyrazines:
- Flavor: Toasty, roasted, nutty, or popcorn-like flavors.
- Uses: Roasted or nutty notes.
- Side Effects: Not commonly associated with side effects.
9. Isovaleric acid:
- Flavor: Cheesy, slightly rancid.
- Uses: Cheese flavoring.
- Side Effects: Gastrointestinal discomfort.
10. Anethole:
- Flavor: Licorice or anise aroma.
- Uses: Licorice-flavored products.
- Side Effects: Potential gastrointestinal discomfort.
11. Sotolone:
- Flavor: Maple, caramel, or burnt sugar.
- Uses: Sweet, caramel-like notes.
- Side Effects: Not commonly associated with side effects.
12. Diacetyl:
- Flavor: Buttery flavor.
- Uses: Butter flavorings, also found naturally in some fermented beverages.
- Side Effects: Inhalation linked to "popcorn lung" in factory workers; ingestion might cause digestive upset.
---
Artificial Flavoring Chemicals:
1. 2,3-Butanediol:
- Flavor: Precursor to other flavor compounds.
- Uses: Used in synthesis, can lead to compounds with buttery flavors.
- Side Effects: Might cause gastrointestinal discomfort.
2. Ethyl 2-methylbutyrate:
- Flavor: Fruity aroma, reminiscent of apples.
- Uses: Enhancing fruity notes in food products.
- Side Effects: Potential gastrointestinal discomfort if consumed excessively.
3. Gamma-Decalactone:
- Flavor: Rich, peach-like aroma.
- Uses: Enhancing fruity and creamy notes.
- Side Effects: Excessive consumption might lead to digestive upset.
4. Ethyl butyrate:
- Flavor: Fruity aroma, often associated with pineapples or fresh oranges.
- Uses: Tropical fruit flavors.
- Side Effects: Potential gastrointestinal discomfort if consumed in large amounts.
5. Diacetyl:
- Flavor: Buttery flavor and aroma.
- Uses: Butter flavorings, present naturally in some fermented beverages.
- Side Effects: Inhalation linked to "popcorn lung" in factory workers; ingestion in high amounts might cause digestive upset.
6. Acetoin:
- Flavor: Mildly buttery note.
- Uses: Adds creamy or buttery dimension to flavorings.
- Side Effects: Limited data; potential concerns similar to diacetyl.
7. 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline:
- Flavor: Aroma of freshly baked bread, toasted rice, and jasmine rice.
- Uses: Imparting toasted or grainy notes.
- Side Effects: No known specific adverse effects.
8. Alpha-ionone and Beta-ionone:
- Flavor: Violet-like aromas; Beta-ionone is associated with raspberries.
- Uses: Fruit and floral flavor formulations.
- Side Effects: Gastrointestinal discomfort with excessive intake.
9. Ethyl vanillin:
- Flavor: Stronger variant of vanilla flavor.
- Uses: Chocolate, baked goods, and perfumes.
- Side Effects: Overconsumption might result in gastrointestinal discomfort or headaches.
10. Butyric acid:
- Flavor: Unpleasant, rancid butter smell.
- Uses: Certain cheese flavors in very small amounts.
- Side Effects: Digestive upset with large consumption.
11. Methyl anthranilate:
- Flavor: Grape-like aroma.
- Uses: Grape-flavored products.
- Side Effects: Gastrointestinal discomfort and potential skin irritation.
12. Benzaldehyde:
- Flavor: Bitter almond or cherry-like flavor.
- Uses: Almond extracts and cherry flavorings.
- Side Effects: Gastrointestinal symptoms, dizziness, or respiratory depression in very high amounts.
Labels need to be more specific about what ingredients are in the food rather than using catch-all terms like "artifical flavors" or "natural flavors". If they're going to go that route they might as well replace their ingredients list with "Ingredients: Stuff"
Brains are naturaly flavored. And they taste awsome.
so natural vanilla can potentially come from a beavers taint if it was more cost effective to milk?
Blaise Rondeau yes
Vanillin - not vanilla.
Also keep in mind that the only difference between a medicine and a poison is the dose.
pretty sure i can't use a lot of poisons as medicine no matter the dose
Because that'd be choosing a solution and then finding a problem to fit it.
@@traso56 because you don't know how to use it ;)
@@nowonmetube so i drink it, then die and i guess i'm no longer sick yay
a difference betwing everything and a poison is the dose
As a chemist who worked in the flavour and fragrance industry for ten years I found that while this clears up some of the differences between natural and artificial flavours it doesn't tell the full story.
The molecule is observably the same between artificial and natural flavors, not necessarily the same.
Yeah, I think all natural is a lot better. I don't think something made from petroleum and other chemicals should be put in anyone's body. I don't think it's a fallacy to believe that made in the lab is not as good as made in nature, unless you're going for poison. Processed food is still processed food, even if it does have "all natural" ingredients, including juices.
What a coincidence. I'm eating right now. Now I wondering either it's natural or artificial flavour. Ooo.
Does not matter, the chemicals are the same.
Another factor in some cases is chirality. Synthetic methods tend to produce a mix of left- and right-handed molecules in equal amounts, while biological processes are more likely to produce 100% left-handed. The two different forms can have dramatically different effects.
My cooking/baking advice is to just add the thing.
If you want your food to taste like orange, for example, just add orange instead of orange flavor regardless of where it came.
For buying stuff, they're almost the same so do as you please.
I believe the same reason you gave for the more nuanced flavor of real Vanilla is also why some people can eat foods with natural nitrates but not the artificially made sodium nitrates. Nitrates are notorious for triggering migraines in a lot of people, but only the artificial ones. I know this from personal experience along with talking to other migraine people. I suspect in the natural form, like celery juice or powder, the other components modify how the nitrates respond in the body.
"Organic" is one of the best marketing techniques for food in today's *bored, ignorant* culture... Especially city dwellers.
I can't count how many times I've paid more for certain brands of ice cream because they were "naturally" flavored. Going forward, I'll buy the other stuff! Thank you for this informative and useful video.
I remember making bana and mint flavorings in college chem lab.
Another interesting twist is artificial maple syrup is usually naturally flavored with fenugreek extract
Has SciShow ever done a video about food dyes? I always see people saying food dyes are awful and effect behavior, and I'm curious what the scientific view is there. I can of course research on my own, but I love SciShow 😛
Fda needs a "GMO flavoring" category now. For gene spliced bacterial flavorings.
Why do I get tired when I'm hot?
Noah Steinorth I don't know, but there is a video about why people take their clothes off when they get freezing cold. I'd like to know the answer to yout question as well.
Probably because you are trying to not burn a lot if energy, becausr that heats you up. And it is harder to cool down
Noah Steinorth Because you’re metal \m/
Metal fatigue sets in faster when the metal is hot.
Cause your body tells you to not move to much so you don't overheat
sirdeadlock I'm not sure but if I had to guess, your body slows down it's rate of respiration, as it produces heat as a byproduct, but this in turn reduces the amount of chemical energy being released, making you feel more tired.
Personally I think that the way we use the word "natural" most of the time is not very useful. I mean where is the line supposed to be drawn? If we take a chemical from a plant, break it down, then reconstitute it as it was, what would it be?
The way I use the word natural when talking scientifically is very simple... If the laws on the universe (i.e. laws of nature) allow it, then it's natural, if not, then it's not natural.
to be fair, we havent found a way to do something that doesnt follow the laws of nature yet....
Yeah but we write fiction that clearly describes unnatural things...
i guess we have a generic (if incorrect) definition of 'unnatural', not based in science, but in 'common knowledge'. Like there is not such a thing as a 'fish' (its not a biological classification), but if i say fish you instinctively know what im talking about. Like cephalopods are considered fish, mollusks are considred fish, and to be fair, penguins, dolphins and beavers were seen as fish not long ago (and still tecnically are, because the classification is so lax its easier to point to what is _not_ a fish than describe one)
Apperantelly, a lot people don't watch the video properly. No, Hank never said that vanillin replaces vanilla entirely. What he actually said is that the *vanillin in vanilla* is the same molecule as synthesised vanillin, not vanilla altogether. In fact, he mentions at 4:30 that vanillin is the *main component* but not the only flavour.
Artificial watermelon candy taste different then freshly cut watermelon. But I love both. Watermelon taste like crunchy water but artificial watermelon is just sweet and delicious.
Sort of how sugar and hfcs is known as gras. But it isn't.
kd1s Well, they're not good for a body, but nobody's going to keel over after eating them. That's the main question it seeks to address. There's a whole country of people to feed, not including the rest of the world. The line had to be drawn and not immediately dangerous seemed to be the boundary line.
Except that it is.
Love SciShow, but there are issues with this one. It feels like you've taken an accurate observation (chemicals are the same whether synthetic or natural) and extrapolated to a conclusion that doesn't quite hold up in the real world.
Take the vanilla example. Yes, vanillin is the main component of the flavor in vanilla, but in real vanilla there's over 250 compounds in varying quantities that give a true vanilla flavor. In reality, Vanillin on its own taste very, very different from natural vanilla and despite what you say, pretty much everyone can tell them apart. To synthesize all the other compounds in real vanilla and add them to the mix might well be possible, but it would be highly inefficient.
The same is true for almost all natural flavors. You might be able recreate a few very broad flavor notes with artificial flavors but it's rarely cost effective (or environmentally effective) to try to replicate flavors *accurately*. So you'll get cheap, mass produced products with "fake" strawberry, banana or vanilla flavors, but they never taste like the real thing.
To use a musical analogy, it's like comparing a 19970s monophonic Nokia ringtone with a full symphony orchestra. You might be able to recognize the tune on the Nokia, but it's no substitute for the orchestra.
There's obviously nothing morally wrong with artificial flavors at all. But in terms of both chemistry and flavor they are quite different from their natural counterparts.
I don't see that as an issue, as they addressed this in the show, specifically the vanilla and strawberry ones; the show explicitly states about 80% of flavor comes from the actual vanilla compound (ok, I forget the name) and the rest from other compounds that can't be easily produced artificially. Similarly for Strawberry it flat out states that the taste isn't the same, because of periphery compounds in the strawberry not duplicated in a simple artificial flavoring-sugar mix.
With your musical analogy, I'd say it's closer to listening to a symphony live... or on a professional recording on your phone. Yes the former will be better, but the latter has a lot of advantages that are well worth the decrease in quality, and most consumers won't be able to tell the difference anyway.
except that it might one day be extremely efficient to artificially synthesize all these compounds and have full blown vanilla and strawberry etc for cheaper and quicker and less environmental impact.
Not a goddamn thing then
If I need Vanilla extract for baking... I make homemade vanilla extract using vodka, a vanilla pod and a dark coloured glass bottle to protect it from light...
1) it tastes wayyyyyy better than even the mass produced & expensive extracts you can get in supermarkets or online... 2) it is SUPER easy to make yourself!
Which means as long as I can get hold of dried vanilla pods; I will never need to buy vanilla extract again!😊💗
Which vodka do you use?
@daisy Pickett - Not cheap and cheerful “paint stripper” but it really doesn’t have to be super expensive vodka either, Smirnoff quality is good, as the vanilla totally takes over the vodka taste anyway... however, use the best vanilla pods you can afford - the latest one I made was with vanilla I found in the supermarket - it was the “fancier” one that cost me roughly £4-5 for a couple of pods, but it is better than the shop bought by far....!
I make smaller batches, because I am still experimenting but one vanilla pod is enough for a small 50cl bottle - which will last quite a while if you don’t bake all that often...
if you do bake often, I would use a bigger bottle with enough pods to suit the bottle size - if it’s not strong enough you can always add another pod; but if it’s too strong then you’ll need an extra bottle and more vodka! 😋
Don’t just add the pod to the vodka, you need to slice it open, scrape out the seeds onto tip of a knife and out them in the vodka, then break/crush the pods and put them into the vodka, give it a good shake and leave it in a cupboard for at least 1-2months or it to work its magic - the longer it sits, the better it tastes....😊💗
@@CharliStar THANK YOU!! I first heard of this many years ago, but i've been procrastinating all this time (knowing i'd save money making my own vanilla). I'm going to try this ASAP!
Daisy Pickett - you really won’t regret making your own.... Enjoy 😊
* Rewatching old videos* "Vanillin, I beat you Hank I win!" -Also Me "oh, that's where I learned this." I apologize to everyone who taught me this, I forgot it was you who taught me this. This channel has taught me so much
"I don't sit on the couch and eat a tub of lard while marathoning Firefly!! BUT THAT WOULD BE ALL-NATURAL!!!"
I want this spread far and wide. I was out with my diabetic mother and she grabbed some gum and said "well it doesnt have any artifical sweetner so its fine for a diabetic." I turned it over and pointed out cane sugar was the first ingredient. After all, i pointed out, sugar is as natural as it gets. It doesnt mean its a good thing to eat.
On a similar note can you do a video about how misleading "no added sugar" labels are. I have never seen a "no sugar added" product that doesnt contain added sugar, just with a different name, like corn syrup or fructose-dextrose. This goes beyond disceptive marketing, it can be seriously dangerous for diabetics!
If vanilla orchids wee THAT annoying, the flavor would be more often artificial than it is today. The plant is finicky, but as orchids go, not terribly so. The big issue with vanilla orchids is that they are vine forming and wild types typically only flower once they are roughly 100' long. Those flowers typically last only a few days at most. Wild and cultivated vanilla, therefore, is often pollinated by human hands-people who are excellent tree climbers. The vanilla flavor comes from the fermented seeds of the fertilized seed pod. This, ironically, is the thing that helped me become TOTALLY OBSESSED with orchids. Sigh.
I just realized what's so endearing about Hank Green... he's comfortable in his own skin.
Yes on vanilla, real is better, and you may like one source better than another. Mexican is different from Madagascar, and the Tahiti vanilla is also different. It's fun to do a 3 way test to find the one you like best.
I remember once seeing an ad for some grocery store company that says “made with real food,” as opposed to food that’s not real
That explains why I absolutely hate artificial strawberry in my candies or my e-liquid. I never even knew that artificial strawberry was so hard to make. Hmm.... and many people look at me crazy when I tell them, “I don’t like artificial strawberry,” I get a silly look, although my tastebuds notice that it doesn’t taste right, and has a gross aftertaste for me personally.
I find the vanilla flavor statistic strangely comforting. I have narcolepsy, and I've seen it said by fairly reliable sources that only 80% of function can be regained through medication. But...well, artificial vanilla is only eighty percent of the original vanilla taste, and lots of people like it. *I* like it.
I don't understand why liking vanilla is bringing me to tears, not fully. But thank you.