Is smoke flavor vegan?

Smoke flavor is a flavoring ingredient used to impart the taste and aroma of natural wood smoke to food products. It is produced by burning wood, such as hickory, mesquite, maple, or oak, under controlled, low-oxygen conditions. The resulting smoke is captured and condensed into water, after which tar, soot, and other insoluble byproducts are filtered out. The purified liquid can be used directly as liquid smoke or dried onto carrier substances like maltodextrin, salt, or starch to create a powdered flavor.

Manufacturers commonly add smoke flavor to barbecue sauces, marinades, potato chips, baked beans, snack foods, and plant-based meat alternatives. Smoke flavor is vegan because it is derived entirely from the thermal decomposition of plant material, specifically hardwoods, along with water. The condensation, filtration, and standard carrier blending processes do not utilize animal tissues, animal derivatives, or animal-based processing aids, meaning the finished flavoring contains no animal sources.