Flavoring Substances

the general name given to certain substances that possess no nutritional properties and are used to improve the taste and aroma of food. Flavoring substances include spices, such as mustard, pepper, clove, bay leaf, caraway, dill, cardamom, ginger, vanilla, and cinnamon; food acids, such as acetic, citric, tartaric, and malic; and aromatic essences. When ingested with food, flavoring substances (especially spices) stimulate the olfactory and gusta-tory nerves, which in turn intensify salivation and secretion of gastric and pancreatic juices. Flavoring substances directly stimulate the mucous membrane of the digestive tract thereby increasing the flow of digestive juices, which improve the appetite as well as the digestion and assimilation of food.