Navigating Citrus Shortages: Case Study – Citrus Wash, Alternate Sourcing Citrus Wash & Chemical Flavor Enhancer (Part III)

We’ve now arrived at Part III of the series to dig into some case studies on citrus wash, alternate sourcing citrus wash and chemical flavor enhancers.

Classic Citrus Wash - Orange

Orange Valencia Oil - 5% Usage in Ethanol:Water mixture.

Ethanol:Water (60:40)

Procedure:

1. Blend Citrus Oil with Ethanol until completely dispersed.

2. While mixing, slowly add Distilled Water.

3. Mix for 30-60 minutes.

4. Let stand, refrigerated overnight.

5. Mixture will separate, with the aqueous layer on the bottom.

6. Collect the Aqueous layer and filter for clarity.

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Alternate Sourcing Citrus Wash - Orange

Ethanol: Water (60:40) + Citrus Oil Blend @ 5%

Procedure:

1. Blend Citrus Oils until completely dispersed.

2. Add Citrus Oil Blend to Ethanol and mix until completely dispersed.

3. While mixing, slowly add Distilled Water.

4. Mix for 30-60 minutes.

5. Let stand, refrigerated overnight.

6. Mixture will separate, with the aqueous layer on the bottom.

7. Collect the Aqueous layer and filter for clarity.

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Chemical Flavor Enhancer

A chemical Flavor Enhancer or Replacer can be utilized to reduce the reliance on the main citrus materials. These can be tricky to get right, but a good Analytical Report using GC/MS can point you in the right direction. The main challenge in replicating citrus using a GC/MS report is the fact that a GC/MS is the perfect reaction vessel for organic reactions. A few other difficulties lie in the complexity (sheer number of compounds) of citrus oils and the waxes which can clog a column if not properly removed. 

In this case study, a focus on Orange Flavors, the key components for Orange are:

• Valencene - a critical component in Valencia Orange and the distinct “juicy” orange flavoring molecule.

• Key Citrus Aldehydes: Octanal (C8), Nonanal, Decanal and Dodecanal - These are the critical citrus aldehydes and getting the balance of these right is crucial to authenticity.

• Monoterpenoids: Linalool, Citral, Nerol & Geraniol - Key terpenoids that give citrus it’s distinct character. Too much of these can make a citrus floral, and the wrong balance can make your flavor into a lemon.

• Esters and Alcohols - Don’t forget about the basic flavor building blocks, citrus has these too. Ethyl Acetate, Ethyl Butyrate, cis-3-hexenol, and more. They’re all still there and need to be if you want the right lift and brightness.

Depending on the specific flavor goals, application and final use rate, these ranges should provide at least a starting point. However, this is just one of many different ways to approach this challenge and many other ingredients that could be substituted, added and adjusted. In addition, source material of each of these will have a pretty significant impact on the usage. Linalool ex Ho Wood vs. Linalool ex Bois de Rose vs. Linalool ex Orange are all different ratios of Linalool isomers, resulting in a different aromatic character to each. Taking this into consideration will be crucial to the performance of a flavor with 40 - 60% Linalool content.

Have a question for me about formulation or would like to connect? Send me an email at michael@mcflavorsllc.com.