II.6.1.3 Flavouring

Definition:

Addition of flavouring and/or tasty ingredients.

Objectives:

To give the product particular organoleptic properties, including bitterness.

Prescription:

Flavouring is the use of:

a)        flavouring substances and/or flavouring preparations and/or other flavours defined as follows:

1. “flavouring substance”: a defined chemical substance which has flavouring properties
2. “natural flavouring substance”: a flavouring substance obtained by appropriate physical processes (including distillation and food solvent extraction) or by enzymatic or microbiological processes from plant or animal material, at its natural state or after its transformation for human consumption by means of food preparation traditional processes (including drying, roasting and fermentation);
3. “flavouring preparation”: a product other than a flavouring substance with  flavouring properties and obtained by appropriate physical processes (including distillation and food solvent extraction) or by enzymatic or microbiological processes, by traditional food preparation processes (including drying, roasting and fermentation) from plant or animal material, at its natural state or after its transformation for human consumption;
4. “other flavours”: chemical compound, obtained by chemical synthesis or purification processes, having flavouring properties and meant for food regulation of producing and customer countries. In order to flavour aromatised wines, beverages based on vitivinicultural products and wine-based products, flavours can be divided into:
   1.      flavours exactly alike compounds naturally contained in plants and/or animal products, such as vanillin or mixture of flavouring substances identical to natural compounds,
   2.      other artificial flavours;

b)       herbs and/or spices and/or fruits or vegetable parts and/or tasty food. 

Recommendation of the OIV:

• aromatised wines:  admitted for the flavourings mentioned in a).2, a.3, a.4.1 and b).
• Beverages based on vitivinicultural products and wine-based beverages: admitted.