According to the international standard, the European Council listed ethyl maltol in the list of artificial flavorings that can be used in food and are harmless to human health. The maximum dosage is 10mg/kg, and the ADI value is 2mg/kg.
In 1970, ethyl maltol was officially listed as a food additive by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and it developed at a faster speed at home and abroad by virtue of its remarkable flavoring effect, recognized safety and wide application. Although ethyl maltol is a homologue of malted cheese, its flavor enhancement effect is 3-8 times that of malted cheese because of slight changes in its molecular structure.
Extended data
When ethyl maltol is added in the processing of poultry meat products, it will react with iron ions in myoglobin, thus preventing myoglobin from degrading into iron-free porphyrin-globulin complex. Because globulin complex is easy to decompose further in general, half of its products are light green porphyrin, which affects the flavor and quality of poultry meat products.
The existence of ethyl maltol will prevent the degradation of myoglobin, or can make canned cooked meat pink without adding nitrite. Ethyl maltol can also remove the odor of raw materials and maintain a long-lasting fragrant flavor. For example, the meat quality and flavor of frozen meat are not as good as that of fresh meat in the processing of poultry products. If ethyl maltol is added in the processing, the difference in flavor between the two will be minimized.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Ethyl maltol