Ethyl Alcohol

[Crunktanium]

So a unicorn dropped by and advised me that even what comes out of his rear has chemicals..

Flavors are complex mixtures that sometimes comprise more than 100 chemicals. In addition to flavors themselves, these mixtures contain chemicals that have other functions. Solvents, emulsifiers, flavor modifiers and preservatives often make up 80 to 90 percent of the mixture.

The main difference between a natural and artificial flavor is the origin of the flavor chemicals. Natural flavors must be derived from plant or animal material.[1] Artificial flavors are synthesized in the lab. The actual chemicals in these two kinds of flavors may be exactly the same: the chemical structures of the individual molecules may be indistinguishable.

The Food and Drug Administration defines natural flavors as substances derived from animals or plants and artificial flavors are those that are not. An artificial flavor must be comprised of one of the nearly 700 FDA-allowed flavoring chemicals or food additives categorized as “generally recognized as safe,” or any of 2000 other chemicals not directly regulated by FDA but sanctioned for use by an industry group, the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States. Most of these chemicals exist as natural flavors or can be extracted from them.

From a food manufacturer’s perspective, the difference between a natural and artificial flavor often comes down to cost and consumer preference. A natural flavor almost always costs much more than an artificial flavor. Still, food makers are often willing to pay because they know that some consumers prefer “natural” flavors.

Interestingly, the chemical mixtures that comprise artificial flavors are often simpler than “natural” flavors. The reason: artificial flavors contain fewer chemicals than natural ones, which can be mixtures of several hundred chemicals.

EWG's Food Scores | Natural vs. Artificial Flavors

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Wait, organic flavors don't have chemicals?

If they say no artificial ingredients they only have the chemicals present in the flavor source. Aside from PG and or ethyl alcohol as a carrier/water soluable agent.
At least that is the way it is supposed to work, but with little or no oversight, who knows.

I know the ones I get from Flavor Concentrates do not have any artificial ingredients that bother me in them.

 

[bwh79]

If they say no artificial ingredients they only have the chemicals present in the flavor source.

Which, being a natural organic compound, could be many thousands of harmful or unknown chemicals. "Natural" doesn't always mean "better for you." tobacco smoke is "natural"; propylene glycol vapor is "artificial." Which one would you rather have in your lungs?

 

[Robert Cromwell]

All I know on the artificial ingredients in ejuivce is that for me many of them cause unpleasant reactions with my taste buds and such. Those reactions almost made me give up vaping and go back to cigs. Had I not found some no artificial additive flavors to make juice out of I would be back smoking now.

For the most of us the artificial ingredients are not a problem. My son has no problem with them, he can drink NutraSweet though and I cannot unless I want to live with a horrible aftertaste for hours after only one sip.

 

[Hoosier]

If they say no artificial ingredients they only have the chemicals present in the flavor source.

If it works for you, great.

Extracting the flavoring is a chemical process and it's not perfect so other things will be there. The flavor of things come from the chemicals that make that flavor, so if there are 300 individual chemicals in strawberry flavor, it will still be 300 chemicals in natural, organic, kosher, or whatever non-artificial version it is. Being natural/organic is likely to have even more chemicals due to the imperfect extraction.

You replied to a poster who was pointing out that there were 300 chemicals in strawberry flavoring with the notion that organic kosher flavoring didn't. Granted 300 is an embellishment, but it came across as if organic kosher didn't have chemicals or a lower number of chemicals. I wanted to find out what your thoughts were.

There are personal ethic reasons to use organic, and I'm fine with that. There are taste and sensitivity reasons to use natural/organic, and I'm more than fine with that. The idea that natural or organic has no or less chemicals, I am willing to debate against til the end of my term on earth...and maybe after...