Smoking food is an ancient method of preservation, but it also gives the food a distinctive and highly valued flavour. And – it's tradition.
The EU has previously recommended replacing traditional smoking methods with the use of smoke flavouring.
Traditional smoking, however, has a drawback: it can lead to the formation of harmful substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). As a consequence, the EU has previously recommended replacing traditional smoking methods with the use of smoke flavouring.
“According to this recommendation, smoke flavourings were thought to be a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional smoking,” said Lene Waldenstrøm, an assistant professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU’s) Department of Biotechnology and Food Science.
Consumers are sceptical
Despite the EU recommendation, many consumers remain sceptical about the use of smoke flavouring.
“There's been quite a lot of debate in Norway about the use of smoke flavouring. Some producers have chosen to avoid this method for the simple reason that they know people are sceptical,” Waldenstrøm said.
She has extensive experience from the food and beverage industry, and has recently completed a PhD on the subject. Among other issues, she looked at consumers’ attitudes towards smoke flavouring in three scientific articles.
The taste is not the problem
Firstly, the researchers had people taste various smoked salmon products – some smoked the traditional way, others processed with smoke flavouring. The taste – specifically whether it is perceived as good – has previously been found to be crucial for whether people accept a food product or a new production method.
“We used various methods both for product optimization and for measuring the sensory aspects, including acceptance, appearance, taste, smell and texture. In addition, the salmon samples assessed by the participating consumers were anonymized. In other words, the consumers were not informed which samples had been smoked the traditional way and which had been produced using smoke flavouring. This is called blind tasting. In the end, we used smoke flavouring to develop a smoked salmon product that did not differ much from the traditional one. Consumers liked the product and accepted it in much the same way as traditionally smoked salmon,” explained Waldenstrøm.
The results indicated that salty, smoky, and what consumers perceive as natural flavours were important for how much they liked the product.
However, that was not enough.
Only 15 per cent were open to smoke flavouring
“A digital survey showed that only 15 per cent of Norwegian consumers were positively inclined toward salmon with smoke flavouring,” said Waldenstrøm.
Many consumers perceive smoke flavouring as unnatural and a break from tradition. They also believe that it affects the quality of the fish and can pose health challenges.
Interestingly, consumers’ attitudes towards smoke flavouring vary depending on the type of product being eaten. Consumers are much more willing to accept the use of smoke flavouring in the production of everyday foods, such as ham, bacon and sausages, than in traditional foods like smoked salmon.
This is an area where more research is needed.
Who says yes, who says no?
This time, they asked more than 1000 Norwegian consumers what they really thought about the use of smoke flavouring. The researchers also looked at other factors that influence food choices.
“In this major survey, 44 per cent of the respondents were negative, 36 per cent neutral and 20 per cent positive towards the use of smoke flavouring,” said Waldenstrøm.
So, who thinks it is okay to use smoke flavouring? Not necessarily the people who know the most about food, but rather people who are generally more positive toward the use of new technology in the food industry, such as processing food with smoke flavouring.
“The positive and neutral respondents were significantly less engaged and interested in food, and they were generally less sceptical toward the use of new food technologies than the respondents who were negative toward the use of smoke flavouring,” added Waldenstrøm.
Overall, the negative respondents were worried about the degree of processing and reduced natural quality.
Among the consumers who were negative toward smoke flavouring, the researchers identified two subgroups comprising different characteristics:
- Food enthusiasts who value tradition and natural quality. They tend to be outgoing, adventurous and friendly.
- Elderly, often retired people living in rural areas.
Slightly different groups of people, but with the same negative attitude toward smoke flavouring.
Why is this significant?
Why is it important to know these things? Well, if we lift our gaze from the smoked salmon on our plates, we might see things from a more global perspective.
“Before we reach the year 2050, there will be ten billion people living on the planet. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization states that there is an urgent need to achieve sustainable food production and fair distribution of food,” said Waldenstrøm.
It is therefore important to find out which new production methods people are willing to accept and, ultimately, are actually willing to eat. If there is to be enough food for everyone, we will most likely need to change our eating habits and the raw produce we use, adopt new methods and process food differently than we do today.
“It is therefore important to understand why people make the food choices they do. Consumers are influenced by a number of factors, not just taste, availability and how healthy the food is. Other factors are related to psychology, how the food is perceived, culture, and the context in which the food is served.
Smoke flavouring recommendation withdrawn
So, what have we actually found out about smoke flavouring? Well, as is the nature of research, we keep discovering new things.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has now withdrawn its approval of all previously approved smoke flavourings from the entire EU market. This comes after scientific studies found that the artificial flavourings could also pose a health risk.
New developments and further studies of both traditionally smoked and smoke-flavoured products are now needed to determine what should be recommended in the future.