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Comment on What flavor are marshmallows?

OK, I’ll look at the ingredients.

CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, WATER, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF GELATIN, TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE (WHIPPING AID), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BLUE 1.

https://www.kraftheinz.com/jetpuffed/products/00600699003285-marshmallows

Looks like there is some kind of “natural and artificial flavor” besides sugar and corn syrup. Wat are those? Dunno. Apparently it’s legal to have secret ingredients that are not disclosed unless a Non-Disclosure Agreement is signed.

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calliope@retrolemmy.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
That natural flavor? Vanilla.

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- Sergio@piefed.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Possibly. But there are several different types of vanilla. Also:
  
  An estimated 95% of “vanilla” products are artificially flavored with vanillin derived from lignin instead of vanilla fruits.
  
  and
  
  However, vanillin is only one of 171 identified aromatic components of real vanilla fruits.
  
  Also you may be amused to know:
  
  In the United States, castoreum, the exudate from the castor sacs of mature beavers, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a food additive,[54] often referenced simply as a “natural flavoring” in the product’s list of ingredients. It is used in both food and beverages,[55] especially as vanilla and raspberry flavoring, with a total annual U.S. production of less than 300 pounds.[55][56] It is also used to flavor some cigarettes and in perfume-making, and is used by fur trappers as a scent lure.
  
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla
  
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  - prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I’ve always wondered how they figured that one out
    
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  - calliope@retrolemmy.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Huh! Apparently the main places you can taste castoreum nowadays (should you want to) are niche foods like Swedish liqueur. Otherwise it’s (understandably) quite expensive.
    
    I was curious and found this article amusing as well:
    
    smithsonianmag.com/…/does-vanilla-flavoring-actua…
    
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    Sergio@piefed.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I’m glad to hear that. Otherwise we’d be confronted with the possibility of vast factory farms of mature beavers having their “castor sacs” milked daily.
    
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