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Artificial flavors are simply chemical mixtures that mimic a natural flavor in some way.
The evaporated chemical comes in contact with sensory cells in the nose and activates them. In the case of taste, a chemical has to activate the taste buds. Therefore most artificial flavors have both taste and smell components. Many of these chemicals are called esters . If you add these esters to a product, the product will taste, to some degree, like orange or banana.