Handbook of Vanilla Science and Technology

The standard of identity for vanilla extract does not require labeling of the strength, although it must be a minimum of one-fold to be called vanilla extract. There is no requirement for indicating the country of origin of the beans. Having a blend of extracts from beans of different origins or quality is allowed and can often result in a better product. Producers may even use different beans or blends in different bottling runs of the same product. However, it is expected that the producers are accurately labeling the products. For example, an extract labeled 100% Madagascar Bourbon should include only beans from Madagascar (only Vanilla planifolia). The quality of the beans is the main factor that affects the quality of the extract but there are no regulations regarding bean quality, so all the beans became top of the line and labeled as gourmet!

From our analysis of the flavor components in a large sample of vanilla extracts, it is obvious there are many companies that sell vanilla extract in the retail market that have very little knowledge of the subject or the FDA regulations regarding proper labeling. Retail vanilla extract is like expensive perfumes in many ways. For some it is more important that the bottle looks gourmet without paying enough attention to the product on the inside. If the vanilla on the retail market has no standard and the market is flooded with undefined vanilla extract, how would a consumer know what to buy and what to use? Can the average consumer tell the difference between good quality or poor quality, as an expert will? Does the industry need to teach people what is a good extract? Or it is a matter of taste?

REFERENCES

Booth, D.Y.J., Sinha, A., Galasso, K.E. and Havkin-Frenkel, D. (2008) Discoloration of oregano postdistillation left-over leaf extract. Acta Horticulturae (ISHS), 778, 93-97.

Gassenmeier, K., Riesen, B. and Magyar, B. (2008) Commercial quality and analytical parameters of cured vanilla beans (Vanilla planifolia) from different origins from the 2006-2007 crop. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 23, 194-201.

Havkin-Frenkel, D. (2009) New vanilla routes. The World of Food Ingredients, March, 36-39. Havkin-Frenkel, D., Podstolski, A. and Knorr, D. (1996) Effect of light on vanillin precursors formation by in vitro cultures of Vanilla planifolia. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture, 45, 133-136.

13 Vanilla in Perfumery and Beverage Flavors

Felix Buccellato

13.1 EARLIEST RECORDED USE OF VANILLA

Vanilla beans and their extracts were used by the ancient Totonaco and Aztec Indians of Mexico, as first recorded in 1520 by Bernal Diaz, one of Hernan Cortes officers. The on-the-vine cured vanilla bean was used to make a drink called chocolatl, containing powdered cocoa beans, ground corn, and flavored with tlilxochitl (ground black vanilla pod and honey). Coffee emporiums of today offer similar combinations of chocolate blended with honey and vanilla.

What is the reason for the appeal of vanilla flavor manifested early on by the Aztecs and persisting to this day, as evidenced by the extensive use of vanilla and related products in foods, cosmetics, and personal products? Chemical analysis of vanilla flavor reveals an extremely complex natural product containing nearly 500 compounds and counting, and chief among them is vanillin. The richness and depth of vanilla flavor and aroma originates from the chemical complexity of the compounds present in vanilla extracts.

Vanillin is the characterizing compound in vanilla flavor. The molecular structure of vanillin indicates that the compound is a multifunctional aromatic with extraordinary olfactory properties, notably, extreme diffusivity and extreme odor intensity. These molecular properties of vanillin are the hallmark of potency and enchantment of flavors and fragrances.

Humans, as well as non-human primates, are capable of detecting extremely low levels of vanillin, well below the typical levels in vanilla extracts. In a comparison of the odor thresholds for vanillin by humans and the pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea), the detection threshold for humans was 11.8 × 10^-14 M and that of the pygmy marmoset was 2.04 × 10^-14 M (Glaser et al. 1995). These values approximate a threshold level of around 0.12 parts per trillion. This is a remarkably low odor threshold, indicating extraordinary detection levels for vanillin by humans and other primates.