Food spices are an important source of processed food flavor, which can not only improve food quality, reduce production costs, but also improve people's quality of life. China's food spices are managed according to food additives and are the largest branch of the food additive family. GB 2760 lists 393 natural spices for food and 1477 synthetic spices for food. Food spices are generally formulated into food flavors for food flavoring, so the prepared food flavors are more diverse. Spices are limited by themselves and are generally used in very small amounts in food, but their improper use can also cause certain food safety hazards and compliance risks. The Food Partner Network deeply studies the relevant standards and regulations of food spices and flavors in China, and analyzes the supervision and management of food spices and flavors in China from the aspects of definition and category, use principle, label identification and production specification.

　　01

Definition and category of food spices and flavors

The main food safety standards involved in food spices and flavors in China include the National Food Safety Standard Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2014), the National Food Safety Standard for Food Spices (GB 29938-2020), the National Food Safety Standard for Food Flavors (GB 30616-2020) and many food spices quality specification standards.

1. Food spices and classification

According to the provisions of GB 29938, food spices refer to substances added to food products to produce flavor, modify flavor or enhance flavor. Flavors for food include edible natural flavor substances, edible natural flavor compounds, synthetic flavors for food, thermally processed flavors for food, and smoked edible flavors.

(1) Natural flavors for food

Natural flavor for food refers to the preparation of aromatic substances or substances with clear chemical structure with aromatic characteristics obtained from animal and plant source materials by physical method or enzymatic method or microbial method, including natural flavor complexes for food and natural monomer flavors for food.

Table B .2 of GB 2760 lists the list of natural flavors allowed to be used in food in China. GB 2760 Implementation Guidelines explain that "substances with aroma characteristics or natural aroma compounds prepared by physical, enzymatic or microbial methods (the enzyme preparations used shall comply with the relevant provisions of GB 2760) from food (which may be unprocessed or processed by traditional food preparation processes suitable for human consumption) do not need to undergo safety evaluation and are not included in the list.". In other words, the natural flavors for food allowed to be used in our country are listed in Table B .2 2760GB, and also include the above-mentioned substances with flavor characteristics or natural flavor compounds that do not need to be evaluated for safety.

In the production and processing of natural flavors for food, if the extraction solvent needs to be used due to the necessity of the process, the amount of solvent used should be reduced as much as possible under the premise of achieving the expected purpose. See Table A.1 in Appendix A of GB 29938 for the list of permitted extraction solvents for natural flavors for food. It lists 17 permitted extraction solvents, and stipulates that food or food ingredients (such as water, edible alcohol, edible animal and vegetable fats, etc.), and permitted food spices can be used as extraction solvents.

(2) Synthetic flavors for food

The synthetic flavor for food refers to a substance with a clear chemical structure formed by chemical synthesis and having flavor characteristics.

GB 2760 Table B .3 lists the list of synthetic flavors allowed for food use in China. It is also provided that:

① For the spices listed in the list of synthetic spices, their corresponding natural substances (I. e. counterparts with identical structures) shall be regarded as approved spices.

② All spices listed in the list of synthetic spices, if there are corresponding ammonium, sodium, potassium, calcium salts and hydrochloric acid, carbonic acid, sulfate, and compounds with spice characteristics, should be regarded as approved spices.

③ If the fragrance listed in the list of synthetic fragrances is a racemate, its levorotatory and dextrorotatory structures should be regarded as approved fragrances. If a fragrance listed in the list of synthetic fragrances has a left-handed structure, its right-handed structure should not be considered approved for use; and vice versa.

2. Food flavors and accessories

According to the provisions of GB 30616, food flavor refers to the concentrated blending mixture composed of food spices and food flavor auxiliary materials used to play the role of flavor (except for preparations that only produce salty, sweet or sour taste, and also excluding flavor enhancers). Food flavors may or may not contain food flavor accessories. It is usually not used directly for consumption, but for food processing. Wherein, flavor auxiliary materials for food refer to any basic substances (such as antioxidants, preservatives, diluents, solvents, etc.) necessary for exerting the effect of flavor for food and (or) improving the stability thereof.

Appendix B of GB 30616 specifies the solvents and carriers (Table B .1) and other auxiliary materials (Table B .2) allowed for food flavors, and specifies that suitable food raw materials can be used as food flavor solvents or carriers or other auxiliary materials.

According to the provisions of GB 2760, food flavor accessories should comply with the provisions of the relevant standards, in the premise of achieving the intended purpose as much as possible to reduce the use of varieties; as an auxiliary material added to the food flavor of the food additives should not play a functional role in the final food, in the premise of achieving the intended purpose as much as possible to reduce the use of food.

　　02

Principles for the use of food spices and flavors

Appendix B of GB 2760 stipulates the principles for the use of food spices and flavors. Combined with the provisions of GB 30616, the following principles for the use of food spices and flavors require special attention:

(1) Not all foods can use food spices and flavors. Food spices and flavors are used in appropriate amounts according to production needs in various foods, but there is no need for flavoring the foods listed in Table B .1 (e. g., sterilized milk), and food spices and flavors are not allowed to be added, unless otherwise specified by laws, regulations or national food safety standards. Except for the foods listed in Table B .1, whether other foods can be flavored shall be implemented according to the relevant food product standards.

(2) Food spices with other food additive functions shall comply with the provisions of GB 2760 when they perform other food additive functions in food. For example, benzoic acid can be used as a preservative, and can be used as a synthetic flavor for food. If the role of a preservative is finally played in food, the scope and amount of its use should comply with the provisions of GB 2760.

(3) According to the needs of the process, the colorants, sweeteners and caffeine allowed in GB 2760 "National Food Safety Standards for the Use of Food Additives" can be used in food flavors, but the varieties and amounts added should be consistent with the requirements of the final food.

　　03

Label identification of spices and flavors for food

1. Labeling of food spices and flavors

The labeling of food spices and flavors shall be in accordance with the provisions of the National Food Safety Standard-General Principles for the Identification of Food Additives (GB 29924-2013).

Food spices shall be listed in the Chinese names specified in GB 2760 and food additives approved by the national competent authorities, and "natural" or "synthetic" can be used for qualitative description. The name and model of food flavor should be suitable for the aroma, fragrance and production process of the marked product, and should not cause misunderstanding or confusion. The words "food flavor" should be clearly marked. Food flavor can also be in the name of food flavor before or after the name of the corresponding words or phrases, such as water-soluble flavor, oil-soluble flavor, mixing powder flavor, microcapsule powder flavor, emulsified flavor, pulp (paste) flavor and salty flavor.

Food spices in food flavors should be marked with the words "food spices" and do not need to be marked with specific names. Food flavor accessories added during the manufacture or processing of food flavors are marked with the words "food flavor accessories. Food additives such as sweeteners, colorants, and caffeine added to food flavors should be marked with specific names in accordance with GB 2760, product quality specifications and standards for food additives and food additives approved for use by the national competent authority.

The labels of food spices and flavors provided to producers and operators should at least be marked with the words "food additives" (food flavors are marked with "food flavors"), the name, specification, net content, production date, shelf life, storage conditions, The name and address of the producer and the production license number. The list of ingredients or ingredients, scope of use, dosage and method of use, product standard code, warning signs and irradiated food additives shall be indicated in the label or instruction manual as required. In addition to the above labeling requirements, the words "retail" should also be marked for food spices and flavors provided to consumers for direct use.

2. Marking of food spices and flavors in food ingredient list

Food spices can be marked as "edible spices", "edible flavors" and "edible flavors and fragrances" in the food ingredient list, and can also be marked with the common name of flavors and fragrances. According to the provisions of Article 43 of the General principles for the labeling of prepackaged foods (GB 7718-2011), if the coloring agents, sweeteners and caffeine added to food flavors play a functional role in the final food due to technological needs, they should be marked as edible flavors (including * * *) in the final food ingredient list.

When only the relevant flavor is added to the product, it is not allowed to indicate the true pattern of the food on the label. For example, the fudge produced with apple flavor is named "apple fudge" without adding any apple juice and apple meat, and uses real apple photos on the label.

　　04

Specification for production of spices and flavors for food

First of all, in our country, food spices and flavors are managed in accordance with food additives, and the food additive production license system is implemented. The production of food spices and flavors should obtain the corresponding food additive production license.

Secondly, the production process of food additives should comply with the provisions of the National Food Safety Standard General Hygienic Code for the Production of Food Additives (GB 31647-2018).

At the same time, the production and use of food spices should meet the requirements of the corresponding quality specifications and standards, there is no special quality specifications and standards, the implementation of GB 29938, food flavors should comply with the provisions of GB 30616. For example, GB 29938 stipulates that the enzyme preparations used in the production of natural flavor compounds for food shall comply with the provisions of the list of enzyme preparations for food and their sources in GB 2760 and the relevant announcements of the health administrative department; the strains used shall comply with the provisions of the "list of bacteria that can be used in food" and (or) the "list of bacteria that can be used in infant food" and the relevant announcements of the health administrative department. Natural compound flavor starting materials for food should be materials of animal and plant origin that can be used as food.