When they say Imitation, they mean it!

So after I made my cupcakes (which are almost all gone) I decided to try and break the mystery of what exactly strawberry extract is (or any extract for that mater). So I went to my little bottle of extract, and because I apparently do not read labels, I found that it was actually imitation extract! Well that really gets me far.


So I tried to do a little snooping online to see what exactly the extraction processes is. I came across exactly what the process is for vanilla extraction, and I would have to assume it would be the same for almost any flavor.


"Pure Vanilla Extract is produced exclusively from beans grown on the estate. After curing, the beans are carefully chopped to increase their surface area and placed in stainless steel percolators. A solution of ethyl alcohol and purified water is circulated through the chopped beans to extract the flavor. A proprietary cold process is used to extract its beans. This minimizes the loss of delicate flavor components. The extraction process usually takes two to three days. The Pure Vanilla Extract is then aged in special holding tanks for as long as two weeks, prior to being filtered and boltted" http://www.silvercloudestates.com/vanilla_process.aspx


So now that the myster was solved for me, I decided to figure out why mine was imitation. So for "pure" extracts, the only ingredients would be extracts of strawberries, water, and ethyl alcohol. This is the list of what is found in imitation strawberry extract:
"water, alcohol (27%), extractives of strawberry, apple juice concentrate, lactic acid, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors, propylene glycol, and fd&c red 40"

Even though the fact that the list is mainly ingredients that are chemicals, what worried me the most was the apple juice. To me apple juice has a very distinct flavor, and I'm not sure how that would help bring out strawberry flavors. Maybe it's more cost effective to produce more bottles of extract? I just do not know.


Well all I do know is that the majority of the strawberry world is a lie. First they get you with the cherry pieces in Special K, and now with apple juice in strawberry extract. Who knows what it will be next, but I bet you I'll find out!