Modern flavors and fragrances are complex formulated products containing blends of aroma compounds with auxiliary materials, enabling desirable flavors or fragrances to be added to a large number of products. If in the past they were analyzed only for the identification of constituents, today their analysis has become necessary to comply with international regulations. Alfa Chemistry is committed to providing analytical services for flavors and fragrances to perfume, skin care, cosmetic, food and other industries. We have the ability to analyze volatile or semi-volatile samples in a variety of matrices.
Our services
Alfa Chemistry provides a wide range of services in the analysis field of flavors and fragrances. These services include, but are not limited to the following.
- Evaluate the purity and quality of flavor and fragrance chemicals and whether they meet international specifications or standards.
- Analyze products with off-flavor and off-odor problems to support product defect investigations.
- Identify potential impurities in the product and quantify the amount of each ingredient in the product to reveal the complete composition of the flavor and fragrance products.
- Identify allergenic compounds in the formulation of cosmetics, perfumes and other products.
Our technology platform
Our technicians mainly use the following technology platforms to conduct the analysis services of flavors and fragrances.
Although there are many types of chromatography, GC is by far the major technique used for the determination of volatile flavor and fragrance materials. The high resolution of GC provides a solid foundation for the qualitative analysis of flavor and fragrance volatiles.
- Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry has been regarded as the gold standard for analyzing many compounds. Both GC and MS require small samples, are very sensitive and reproducible, and are suitable for the analysis of volatiles. The use of GC-MS allows not only detailed composition analysis of liquid flavor and fragrance samples, but also headspace analysis of volatile components above solid or liquid flavor and fragrance samples.
- Gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O)
GC-O is a hybrid technique that combines the separating power of GC with the specific selectivity and sensitivity of the human nose. It is a valuable technique for the characterization of odor-active and character impact compounds in flavors and fragrances. In the laboratories of most flavor chemists, GC-O has been used as a powerful tool to determine which compounds in complex volatile mixtures are aromatically active.
- Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)
FTIR is a technique which is used to obtain infrared spectrum of absorption, emission, and photoconductivity of solid, liquid, and gas. The technique can be used to identify flavor and fragrance molecules by recording the spectrum for an unknown and comparing this to a library or data base of spectra of known compounds.
Flavors and fragrances are complex mixtures of volatile compounds and generally consist of hundreds of substances with different functionalities. The analysis of the sample is challenging due to its complexity. With unmatched depth of experience and expertise, Alfa Chemistry can provide you with a comprehensive analytical service for flavors and fragrances. If you have any needs, please feel free to contact us.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
