If I may ask a question…
Nature’s flavors sells both extracts and concentrates that are water soluble. For a brown soda, like rootbeer, is an alcohol based extract preferred or should I go the concentrate route?
I’ve been toying with the idea of making commercial style rootbeer at home, and making soda from roots just doesn’t cut it (even if it’s pretty good). I’ve been eying Nature’s flavors for a while, but since I’m not in the US it will be VERY expensive.
There are no domestics providers of food safe wintergreen or sassafras.
Thanks, and cool career switch!
That’s a good question and it probably depends on the ingredient. Most of what we call flavors are a mix of volatile aromatic compounds. Some of those are fat soluble. Some water soluble.
Alcohol is great for extracting as it can pull out both.
The flavor extracted depends on what you’re extracting with and even the concentration.
So really, you’d have to buy it and try. I’ve only ever made root beer a couple times for my own experimentation with oil.
Nature’s Flavors is awesome though and you might ask them.