Key Activities

The working group primarily deals with

• the interpretation of the legal requirements for the production and use of flavourings
• the development and evaluation of analytical test procedures
• methods for determining the authenticity of natural flavourings and their raw materials (e.g. vanilla)
• the labelling of flavourings
• current research topics around flavourings
• the observation of the toxicological evaluation of flavourings
• the monitoring of the intake of flavouring substance
• the publication of reports and papers

Publications

• Position paper „Authenticity of natural flavouring substances“ (in German) (2026) (pdf)
• „Smoke flavourings off the table?“ (in German), Lebensmittelchemie (2025) 79:54-58 (pdf)
• Basic paper on the topic “Vanilla flavors – origin, analysis and characterization of vanilla components” (in German; prepared together with the Working Group Stable Isotope Analysis), Lebensmittelchemie (2022) 76:S1-016-S1-026 (pdf)
• "Clarification of the designation of vanillin from electrochemical oxidation of lignin" (in German), Nachrichten aus der Chemie (2021) 69(1):95 (Link)
• Brochure “Aroma compounds – important contributors to food quality” (in German), updated edition (2019) (pdf)
• Basic paper "Origin and authenticity of vanilla flavourings" (in German; prepared together with the Working Group Stable Isotope Analysis) (2010) (pdf)
• Brochure “Aroma compounds – important contributors to food quality” (in German) (2010)
• "Occurrence of allyl hexanoate (CAS No. 123-68-2) in pineapple fruits" (in German) (2007) (pdf)
• “Authenticity of flavourings” (regarding: "disclosure of processes" and "traceability"), Lebensmittelchemie (2004) 58:54 
• "Natural flavouring substances" – Statement of the Flavourings Working Group (in German) (2003); additionally published in Lebensmittelchemie (2003) 57:44
• "Enantioselective analysis for the naturalness assessment of flavouring substances" (in German), Lebensmittelchemie (2001) 55:24-26 (pdf)