The influence of essence in the food industry has always resonated with the development of the food industry. Looking back to its "past life", the prototype of essence (natural spices) was once an exclusive food flavoring agent for the royalty and nobility - the ancient Persians used saffron to flavor rice, and in the Tang Dynasty of China, osmanthus was used to make cakes. At that time, the application scope of spices was extremely narrow, and their core function was to "enhance the quality of ingredients". However, after entering the industrial era, the "present life" of essence became the "core booster" of food industrialization, and its influence expanded from "niche flavoring" to "industry empowerment", profoundly changing the production mode and consumption pattern of food.

After the Industrial Revolution, industrialized food production became mainstream. However, the aroma of natural ingredients is easily lost during high-temperature sterilization, long-distance transportation, and long-term storage. This pain point directly gave rise to the large-scale application of essences in the food industry. At the end of the 19th century, synthetic vanillin began to be used in bakery products and dairy products, solving the problems of high cost and unstable aroma of natural vanilla beans. In the mid-20th century, the successful development of water-soluble essences enabled the beverage industry to achieve "uniform flavor across regions" - whether it's orange juice in the south or apple juice in the north, the consistent fruit aroma can be ensured through essences. It can be said that without the technological breakthrough of essences, there would be no large-scale and standardized production in the modern food industry.

Nowadays, the influence of essence on the food industry has penetrated into the deep dimensions of "flavor innovation" and "consumption upgrading". In terms of flavor innovation, essence breaks the geographical and seasonal constraints of ingredients: mango-flavored ice cream can be enjoyed in winter, and authentic lychee juice can be tasted in non-lychee producing areas, all relying on the precise simulation of natural flavors by essence; meanwhile, essence has also driven the innovation of "compound flavors", such as popular flavors like sea salt cheese, cherry blossom white peach, and dried orange peel Pu'er tea, all achieved through the compounding of multiple spices, greatly enriching the flavor spectrum of food. In terms of consumer experience, essence enhances the palatability of food through the sensory logic of "aroma guiding taste" - for example, adding mild fruit essence to children's complementary food can reduce children's rejection of unfamiliar ingredients; adding rich wheat aroma essence to elderly food can compensate for the decline in sensory sensitivity of the elderly.

It is worth noting that, with the increasing attention of consumers on food safety and health, the application of essence in the food industry has also ushered in new requirements for "quality upgrade". Nowadays, products that are closer to nature, such as "natural equivalent essence" and "organic essence", have gradually become mainstream. The industry's requirements for essence have upgraded from "flavor compliance" to "safety, naturalness, and precision". This change not only drives the iteration of essence technology but also allows the food industry to find a better balance between "flavor innovation" and "health and safety", further highlighting the core value of essence in the food industry.