Strawberry flavor is one of the world's most classic and widely used food flavors.

Strawberry flavor is one of the world's most classic and widely used food flavors. Its "taste" is a complex concept, combining flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel.

We can analyze its taste from several aspects:

High-quality strawberry flavor aims to replicate the taste of ripe, sweet, and juicy strawberries. Its taste is a balance of multiple sensations:

• High sweetness: This is the first impression. High-intensity sweeteners (such as sucralose, cyclamate, etc.) or a combination with real sugar are used to create a strong sweetness similar to fresh strawberries or strawberry jam.
• Bright acidity: Single sweetness can be cloying and artificial. Adding citric acid, malic acid, or maleic acid simulates the natural fruit acids of strawberries, providing a refreshing and lively "tongue sensation," making the flavor more complex.
• Slight green/grassy notes: To mimic the realism of freshly picked or not fully ripe strawberries, a small amount of "green aroma" or "leafy notes" is sometimes added. However, this must be very carefully controlled, otherwise it will produce an unpleasant, unripe taste.
• Subtle "creamy/caramel" undertones: Deeply ripe strawberries or cooked strawberry jam have a slight creamy or caramel flavor. Some high-end flavors incorporate lactone compounds (such as γ-decalactone, which has a creamy peach aroma) to add this warm, full-bodied finish.

Juiciness: This is primarily achieved by the coordination of acidity, sweetness, and aroma to create an illusion in the brain. Some flavor formulat