The processes for making flavors are much the same as for making natural flavors. The ingredients are rather than just natural. You start by using only certified ingredients when available and when not you may use naturals provided they fit with in the definition of natural and only comprise less than 5% of the total amount when calling it 95% organic. When calling it 100% you must use only certified ingredients and nothing else. Nature's Flavours carries both 95% and 100% certified flavors. It is our goal to produce only 100% flavor concentrates and extracts as the ingredients become available. In many instances we produce our own ingredients to satisfy our strict quality control requirements. Because the industry is still very young the technology's to make these ingredients are still evolving. The only solvents that we use in the development of and natural flavors are filtered RO water and alcohol. If we can't extract the ingredients through these methods then we don't do it. Steam distillation is another method we employee. Fortunately this is in most cases the only methods needed to manufacture these unique flavor concentrates and extracts. A simple and common process for making vanilla extract is to take vanilla beans and grind them to a pulp then allow them to soak and extract in an alcohol/water mixture for a period of time sometimes for up to several months. Normally for a standard vanilla extract you would extract for a period of not less than fourteen days. That's how long Nature's Flavours allows its vanilla extract to age and extract. This method is common for our citrus and other fruit flavor extracts as well. There are usually some filtering and clarifying techniques that follow the extraction process before being bottled or packaged. There are no chemical residues because there are no chemical solvents used. Many of the flavoring ingredients are derived this way first before being incorporated in to water based or oil based flavor concentrate. To make the flavor concentrates water soluble you must emulsify the oils that were derived and separated from the extraction process or steam distilling and that usually involves using an gum or starch and under high pressure and shearing. This process forces the oils and Gums to be broken into very small particles and cling to one another with out reforming into there basic building blocks again. The entire process is safe and effective for producing the finest flavor oils, flavor concentrates, and flavor extracts. Nature's Flavours has pioneered many of these methods for producing these products. We are proud of our flavorings, spices, coffees, and all our products. We hope they bring you much enjoyment and satisfaction.