Cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and star anise are the traditional flavors of Christmas. Where do these natural extracts come from and how are they used in food and beverage preparations? Find out in this article.
Today, consumers are more interested in products with natural ingredients that can support a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Botanical extracts play an essential role in this: no longer exclusively intended for the nutraceutical market, today their use has expanded to the food industry as well.
These natural extracts can be used to enhance foods in addition to soups, sauces, dressings, yogurt and other dairy products, tea, and coffee, but they can also be used as ingredients in sweets, cookies, cakes, and other baked goods.
In Europe, a positive evaluation in the Novel Food Catalogue is the basic requirement for plant extracts to be freely added to foods and beverages.
Sweet and a little spicy: this is how we think of Christmas, but especially of its traditional treats. Among the most popular spices on Christmas tables, we must mention cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and star anise. Let’s take a look at their properties.
Native to Sri Lanka, cinnamon is obtained from the tree of the same name, an evergreen belonging to the Lauraceae family. Its properties have been known since ancient times and are used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. Due to its digestive function, cinnamon can help soothe stomach pain, promote the elimination of gas, and regularity of intestinal transit. It is also rich in antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
Not to be confused with Chinese cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum Nees), a cheaper but potentially harmful alternative due to its coumarin content, cinnamon is one of the spices with the highest risk of adulteration. We discussed it in this article.
Sweetly candied or in the form of gingerbread, ginger triumphs on the palate with its fresh spiciness. This beloved spice used in Asian cuisine is prized for its versatility and healthy properties.
Ginger is known for its digestive function: it promotes regular gastrointestinal motility and gas elimination and is an excellent natural remedy against nausea. Its action can also help the regular function of the cardiovascular system and normal blood circulation. Other benefits include joint function, counteracting localized states of tension, and menstrual cycle disorders.
Successfully used in the confectionery industry, vanilla extract is derived from an orchid native to Mexico and was introduced to Europe after the discovery of the Americas.
In traditional medicine, vanilla is noted to have calming and stress-relieving properties, while vanillin, which is responsible for the characteristic sweet aroma, is a polyphenol with antioxidant properties that can counteract the action of free radicals. It is also useful for carbohydrate metabolism.
Star anise is a tropical evergreen tree belonging to the family Schisandraceae and native to East Asia. In addition to Christmas sweets, its aroma is valued in the production of liqueurs such as sambuca and pastis.
Star anise has digestive function and promotes regular gastrointestinal motility and gas elimination. Moreover, its balsamic effect is useful in fighting seasonal ailments, promoting the well-being of the nose and throat, and the elimination of bronchial secretions.
A growing market segment of EPO botanical extracts is precisely in food and beverages. One of the most interesting projects we have worked on in recent years is our collaboration with the Food NET project to create functional foods for the senior population (over 65) in the metropolitan city of Milan. Some of our extracts, such as cinnamon and OMEOlipid®, have been used in the prototypes of the functional snacks “I semplici”.
To sum up, botanical extracts offer the possibility of enhancing any type of food product with their active ingredients and adding naturalness to recipes. An irresistible combination of taste and well-being.