The Truth Behind 'Natural' and 'Artificial' Flavors: How Bad Are They Really?
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
- You see the words 'artificially flavored' and 'naturally flavored' on ingredients packaging all the time-but what does it actually mean? What is "natural" and what is "artificial"? How bad for you are they really? Join Hank Green and find out more in this episode of SciShow!
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Sources:
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www.accessdata.fda.gov/script...
www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/...
www.scientificamerican.com/ar...
www.fda.gov/food/ingredientsp...
www.seriouseats.com/2014/04/w...
www.cooksillustrated.com/tast...
www.acsh.org/sites/default/fi...
www.cbc.ca/news/business/orang...
www.bonappetit.com/story/trut...
www.popsci.com/what-are-natur...
www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/env...
www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/flav...
www.scientificamerican.com/ar...
www.newyorker.com/books/page-...
abcnews.go.com/Health/califor...
www.femaflavor.org/
sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/201...
www.ag.ndsu.edu/foodlaw/proce...
www.popsci.com/history-flavor...
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Images:
www.istockphoto.com/photo/app...
www.istockphoto.com/photo/a-d...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
www.istockphoto.com/photo/tub...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
bit.ly/2lA0I8m
bit.ly/2tIeKbO
bit.ly/2KhsV2v
bit.ly/2KwNzeB
bit.ly/2KoQtOV
bit.ly/2twWqTQ
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
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 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
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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?
To quote Tim Minchin, "EVERYTHING IS CHEMICALS!!!"
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.
"it's all natural" Well so is Skunk piss but i don't want it in or on my body
i do
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
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
Surprised you didn't mention the banana flavor. From what I hear, the whole situation is flipped, as artificial banana flavor is based on "the original" banana, which went extinct many decades ago, and that the natural banana flavor is actually artificial because the banana trees we have today are a result of genetic modification that outgrew the original trees.
Interesting!
I always get a chuckle when I hear people ask "How come the banana flavoring doesn't taste anything like 'real' bananas?" Everybody just got used to the runner-up banana flavor once the "original" banana strain went extinct. It's sort of like how I got used to the flavor of Diet Coke (or Coke Zero) and think that regular Coke has a funny aftertaste and is too sweet.
Well, the bananas we have today are not genetically modified. They are just a different cultivar: the Cavendish. The Cavendish is as genetically modified as most other crops in that it is a product of selective breeding. The old banana cultivar was the Gros Michel, but it was wiped out by a fungal disease. It isn't extinct, but it is no longer commercially viable here in the US. Apparently it is still being produced in eastern Asia though.
Commercially available bananas, as it would have it.
battleon81 ooh i think ik what you mean, theres very small bananas in asia with thin skins that have a stronger taste, riper texture and taste quite tropical. They are delicious!
Maybe they're the ones you're on about?
"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
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.
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 :)
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This video is one of the most informative yet. I love everything Hank and John make. Thank you SCISHOW. For all your hardwork. 💕
"It's possible some flavorings have minor long-term negative health effects we just don't know about"
I'd put money on it...
More people should watch this
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.
05:26 Ugh. I hate when evaporative cooling towers are shown spewing dark smoke. They don't vent smoke! They vent water vapor! From water!
I'm actually avoiding natural flavours since I don't want trees to die just so my cookies have the flavour of cinnamon
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.
The fact that they have to do a video explaining the intricacies of all this in the first place speaks volumes.
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.
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.
Thanks for explaining the facts behind natural and artificial flavors
Hank, love the work you're doing. Good subject and well explained.
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.
When someone prattles on to me about wanting things to be totally natural, I suggest strychnine as it grows naturally on trees!
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.
If I was a marketers id start coining “Naturally Sourced Flavors” that instead of “Natural Flavors” wit this new age of flavors
"Super kill you" I found that phrase to be more funny than I should have lol
Kill kill is better.
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.
Man this channel is so awesome for learning!
I love how you list your sources.
Now I need a video on popcorn lung NOW
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.
Excuse me , but you’re not going to convince me strawberry koolaid is healthier than mixing real strawberries.
Artificial vanilla extract is crazy because sometimes chefs say it's better to use artificial in the likes of baking. If it's raw (example: added at the end for ice creams and puddings), the real stuff is better. Maybe the heat of the oven does things to the extra natural parts. I didn't bake much in the past, so the real stuff was fine for a long time.
I also feel that artificial, especially yeast-grown can be better. We've been using yeast to make bread for centuries
Ann Reardon did a story on food colorings and how artificial ones might actually be safer.
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!
I have a suggestion for a video. How could we, theoretically, extinguish the sun?
With our current resources and technology or in the future?
Excellent content and presentation.Thank you so much
WOW Guys , sooo informative. Keep it up!!!
The snozberries taste like snozberries!
OMG you made my day!! :)
Who ever heard of a snozberry?
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? 🤨
Great show. Thanks 😊
Thanks for the info!
Artificial strawberry is different, but the one I was expecting was grape.
Candies with artificial grape flavor always remind me of grape cough medicine
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.
wonderfully explained.
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
Sounds like flavours derived from yeast and bacteria should still count as artificial, since those aren't plants or animals. Under that kind of rule, though, you can never have "natural mushroom flavour" even if it's extracted from natural mushrooms, since they aren't plants either.
Btw yeast and fungi can come under plants and animals depends on which classification system u use
Though they r in separate classes in Whitaker 5 kingdom kingdom
Anupama Sunny
Can you name any classification system that puts fungi under the "plant" oder "animal" kingdom ? No ? Thought so ...
You may subsume them as eukaryotes, which is of course fine, but no half-decent classification system will categorize fungi as plants or animals. That's simply ridiculous. That's worse than classifying archae as eubacteria.
Frank Schneider wat abt in the 2 kingdom classification??
You mean the historical classification used in the 18th century by Linnaeus? No one sane uses that anymore.
Dude I was just trying to help justify the ppl who thought fungi are like plant
I took enough bio classes to know what ur saying
If I see the word "natural" (or "real") on a food product I avoid it like the plague.
Probably it's whole grain
Sebastian Elytron I actually avoid them simply because the “appeal to nature” conundrum is the most annoying logical fallacy
Horrible idea, and completely pointless. It's not always healthier but doing that will make your diet much shitter.
Real is my fav, no where in the production of this food did we take the square root of a negative number
Sebastian Elytron what about if it's naturally derived vitamin C I mean synthetically made vitamin C is less efficiently absorbed
This applies to most nutrients
trips, falls into beaver butt, says "hey, smells like vanilla"
A much-needed video on "natural" and artificial flavorings.
Hank, I think you got something on your right arm
Nijaan.N
Don't worry. It's "GRAS".
AND THAT ONE STRAND OF HAIR
AHHHH HE'S A WRECK
Nijaan.N It's baby poo.
Thinking it's either a bruise or mustard(?)
Glad I'm not the only one that noticed. I was like is that mustard on his arm?
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
This is the video I have needed my whole life
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
I don’t care what they mean, they both taste good.
Garry Lawson 1st
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.
You're video's are excellent, very interesting to watch. 👍👍👍
this is such an interesting and great video
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.
I'm glad you told me fly amanita will super kill me before I tried to use one to double in size and stomp on turtles!
Fox D it’s odd that they put that one s toxic. Because it won’t “super kill you” but it might make you think you can double in size and stomp on turtles (it is highly psychoactive)
Is that a reference to the rumor that Lewis Carroll might have been inspired to write the Alice series from a childhood experience eating those mushrooms?
Absolutely great... I just happened to be eating vanilla yoghurt while listening to this.
Amazing!
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).
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?
Crush those advertising ploys, Hank!
Pretty enlightening.
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
Brains are naturaly flavored. And they taste awsome.
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 had watched this video earlier, when it was uploaded. But depending on how Hank Green is looking vs how he looks now , it seems like the video was made at least 4 years ago. Both Hank and John Green has changed a lot in terms of appearance in just 2 years.
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.
I think vanilla isn't actually the most popular, it's just that vanilla flavored anything is usually the cheapest among its differently-flavored ones
Eugene InLaw that still makes it the most popular.
Plus, that's only think of flavour as if you have different choices: the chocolate version, the vanilla version or the strawberry version?
A lot of vanilla is used to flavour things you wouldn't even think of. Like chocolate cakes. Or almost any cake.
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 😛
Thank you I've been trying to tell others this for years.
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.
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
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
Wow this was a good episode
so natural vanilla can potentially come from a beavers taint if it was more cost effective to milk?
Blaise Rondeau yes
Vanillin - not vanilla.
The word artificial is artificial. Humans are natural so isn't every physical thing humans create also natural? For example, "artifical vanilla" is artificial in name only. Why not call it "natural laboratory vanilla"?
Newman Gordon
But humans create art.
Artificial is natural.
wao....
thanks.
very good video
Just had a case of semantic satiation with the word 'flavour', a term which I also learned on SciShow!