The term 'Natural Vanilla Flavor' means that it is a synthetic product but at least it contains a natural extract of the ingredient it refers to, in this case the hazelnut. Manufacturers state that the percentage of the natural ingredient is around 95 per cent, but do not declare the nature of the remaining 5 per cent.

Vanilla is a herbaceous creeper (Vanilla planifolia) belonging to the Orchidaceae family that flowers like an orchid and fruits in fragrant pods that are very commonly used in cosmetics, perfumes, food and confectionery in particular.

The photo shows an enlargement of a Bourbon vanilla pod from Madagascar:

Vanilla is a tropical orchid used as a raw material for fragrances mainly in the food industry, but also in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The quality of the bean or berry is definitely dependent on vanillin, the volatile constituent that contains interesting nutraceutical properties, but no antioxidant properties, and which is one of the 200 components found in the vanilla bean. However, it should be borne in mind that, as with all cultivated products, any properties are conditioned by important factors that determine their quality and effectiveness: the time of harvest, correct pollination during flowering, climate, possible environmental pollution and more. Vanilla is cultivated using different methods such as Bourbon, Mysore or Mexican (1). 

The vanilla flavour was the first to be used in ice cream parlours.

Half a tonne of vanilla pods yields only 1 kilogram of vanilla, which is why it is rather expensive.

Vanilla yields

• pods
• extract
• oils
• vanillin

Instead of using vanillin, a product that may turn out to be of synthetic origin, many food manufacturers include vanilla bean extract in their products, which is a natural product made from crushed vanilla pods.

This extract can also be prepared at home by purchasing vanilla pods.

The best qualities :

• Bourbon - Madagascar
• Tahiti

Chemical composition of vanilla (2)

• Leaves: alkaloids, saponins, tannins, phenols, flavonoids, terpenes.
• Stems: saponins, phenols, alkaloids, terpenes.

Vanillin as an appetite stimulant

The vanilla flavour is perhaps best known to consumers who enjoy it in foods, cosmetics, household products and some medicals. Vanilla flavouring agents typically contain vanillin or its analogue ethyl-vanillin, which belongs to the vanillyl group. This substance has been shown to increase appetite, which could also be stimulated by olfactory receptors (3).

The most relevant studies on this ingredient have been selected with a summary of their contents:

Vanilla studies

Bibliografia_______________________________________________________________________

(1) Anuradha K, Shyamala BN, Naidu MM. Vanilla--its science of cultivation, curing, chemistry, and nutraceutical properties. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2013;53(12):1250-76. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.563879..

(2) Díaz-Bautista M, Francisco-Ambrosio G, Espinoza-Pérez J, Barrales-Cureño HJ, Reyes C, Herrera-Cabrera BE, Soto-Hernández M Morphological and phytochemical data of Vanilla species in Mexico. Data Brief. 2018 Sep 7;20:1730-1738. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2018.08.212. eCollection 2018 Oct

(3) Ogawa K, Tashima A, Sadakata M, Morinaga O. Appetite-enhancing effects of vanilla flavours such as vanillin. J Nat Med. 2018 Jun;72(3):798-802. doi: 10.1007/s11418-018-1206-x.