Vanilla bean extract is a concentrated liquid flavoring derived from the beans of the vanilla orchid (Vanilla planifolia). The extract is produced by soaking cured vanilla beans in alcohol and water, which extracts the aromatic compounds responsible for the characteristic vanilla flavor. It is widely used in baking, cooking, and beverages, adding a rich and complex flavor profile.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories per 100g: Approximately 288 kcal
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 12g (of which sugars: 1g)
• Protein: 0g
• Alcohol: Approximately 35%

The extract is low in calories and contains minimal macronutrients, but its flavoring power makes it valuable in small amounts.

Chemical Composition and Structure
Vanilla bean extract contains several key compounds, including:

• Vanillin: The primary compound responsible for the characteristic vanilla flavor, accounting for about 1-3% of the extract.
• Eugenol: Contributes to the aroma and flavor profile.
• Other Compounds: Includes various phenolic compounds and essential oils that enhance the overall flavor.

The extract has a complex chemical structure, featuring various aromatic compounds that contribute to its distinct scent and taste.

Physical Properties

• Appearance: Dark brown to amber liquid, often containing tiny specks of vanilla bean seeds.
• Taste: Sweet and aromatic, with a deep and rich flavor.
• Viscosity: Slightly thick due to the presence of suspended particles from the vanilla beans.
• Solubility: Soluble in water and alcohol.

Production Process

1. Harvesting: Vanilla orchids are hand-pollinated, and the pods are harvested when green.
2. Curing: The harvested pods are cured through a process involving blanching, sweating, and drying, which develops the flavor and aroma.
3. Extraction: The cured vanilla beans are chopped and soaked in a mixture of alcohol and water for several weeks, allowing the flavors to infuse.
4. Filtration: The mixture is filtered to remove solid particles, resulting in a clear extract.

Applications

• Baking: Commonly used in cakes, cookies, and pastries for flavor enhancement.
• Cooking: Added to sauces, dressings, and savory dishes for a unique flavor twist.
• Beverages: Used in cocktails, coffees, and smoothies to provide aromatic depth.
• Cosmetics: Employed in perfumes and skincare products for its pleasant scent.

Environmental and Safety Considerations
Vanilla cultivation can involve sustainability issues, such as deforestation and labor practices. It is important to source vanilla products from sustainable and fair-trade producers. Vanilla extract is generally recognized as safe for consumption, though individuals with specific allergies should verify ingredients.

Studies

Vanilla is a tropical orchid belonging to the family Orchidaceae and it is mainly used in food, perfumery, and pharmaceutical preparations.

The quality of the bean depends on the volatile constituent's, viz., the vanillin content, the species of the vine used, and the processing conditions adopted. Hence, proper pollination during flowering and curing by exercising utmost care are the important aspects of vanilla cultivation.

There are different methods of curing, and each one is unique and named after the places of its origin like Mexican process and Bourbon process.

Recently, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore has developed know-how of improved curing process, where the green vanilla beans are cured immediately after harvest and this process takes only 32 days, which otherwise requires minimum of 150-180 days as reported in traditional curing methods.

Vanillin is the most essential component of the 200 and odd such compounds present in vanilla beans. Vanillin as such has not shown any antioxidant properties, it is along with other compounds has got nutraceutical properties and therefore its wide usage.

 The medicinal future of vanilla may definitely lie in further research on basic science and clinical studies on the constituents and their mechanism of action (1).

The taste of vanilla was the first to be used in ice cream.

From the vanilla are obtained:

• pods or berries
• extract
• oil
• vanillin

Natural vanillin (which is obtained from the fermentation of ferulic acid of vanilla berries) is a rather expensive product and is often replaced, in the poorest commercial oven products, by synthetic vanillin, obtained by chemicals from lignite.
The natural extract can also be prepared at home, buying the vanilla pods.

The best qualities: 

• Bourbon from Madagascar 
• Tahiti

Chemical composition

The dispersion of phytochemical data on all Vanilla species that was analysed was determined by the three first principal components which explained 92.4% of the total variation of this study.The first principal component explained around 51.9% of the total variation and was represented by flavonoids in stems. The second explained 23.2% of the total variation and was determined by phenols in leaves and terpenes in stems. The third principal component explained only 17% of the total variation and was determined by flavonoids in leaves and terpenes in leaves (2).

Appetite-enhancing effects of vanilla flavours such as vanillin.

Vanilla flavour is familiar to consumers through foods, cosmetics, household products and some medicines. Vanilla flavouring agents typically contain vanillin or its analogue ethyl vanillin. Our previous study revealed that the inhalation of eugenol, which contains a vanillyl group, has an appetite-enhancing effect, and the inhalation of aroma compounds containing the vanillyl group or its analogues led to increased food intake in mice. Here, we found that vanillin, ethyl vanillin and eugenol showed appetite-enhancing effects, whereas isoeugenol and safrole did not. These results suggest that the appetite-enhancing effects could be attributable to the vanillyl group and could be affected by the position of the double bond in the aliphatic chain. Furthermore, the results of intraperitoneal administration of eugenol and vanillin suggest that their appetite-enhancing effects could occur via stimulation of olfactory receptors (3).

Vanilla studies

References________________________________

(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. 

Abstract. Vanilla is a tropical orchid belonging to the family Orchidaceae and it is mainly used in food, perfumery, and pharmaceutical preparations. The quality of the bean depends on the volatile constituent's, viz., the vanillin content, the species of the vine used, and the processing conditions adopted. Hence, proper pollination during flowering and curing by exercising utmost care are the important aspects of vanilla cultivation. There are different methods of curing, and each one is unique and named after the places of its origin like Mexican process and Bourbon process. Recently, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore has developed know-how of improved curing process, where the green vanilla beans are cured immediately after harvest and this process takes only 32 days, which otherwise requires minimum of 150-180 days as reported in traditional curing methods. Vanillin is the most essential component of the 200 and odd such compounds present in vanilla beans. Vanillin as such has not shown any antioxidant properties, it is along with other compounds has got nutraceutical properties and therefore its wide usage. The medicinal future of vanilla may definitely lie in further research on basic science and clinical studies on the constituents and their mechanism of action.

(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. 

Abstract. This systematic determination of morphological and phytochemical data was conducted with the purpose of conserving and identifying the phylogenetic relationship among the Vanilla species of the Totonacapan region in Mexico to increase awareness of the genetic biodiversity. Samples of Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia cv. "oreja de burro", V. pompona, V. insignis, and V. inodora, are distributed across 19 municipalities of the State of Veracruz and 19 municipalities of the State of Puebla. Morphological data parameters were determined in situ and included leaf length, leaf width, leaf thickness, stem diameter, stem thickness, node distance, stem texture degree, flower colour intensity, and fruit length. Similarly, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, phenols, flavonoids, and terpenes were determined by specifically phytochemical tests and quantified by thin layer chromatography. Both, morphological and phytochemical data parameters, were successfully used in assembling dendrograms by using the Euclidian distance method and by principal component analysis.

(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. Epub 2018 Mar 22. PMID: 29569223.

Abstract. Vanilla flavour is familiar to consumers through foods, cosmetics, household products and some medicines. Vanilla flavouring agents typically contain vanillin or its analogue ethyl vanillin. Our previous study revealed that the inhalation of eugenol, which contains a vanillyl group, has an appetite-enhancing effect, and the inhalation of aroma compounds containing the vanillyl group or its analogues led to increased food intake in mice. Here, we found that vanillin, ethyl vanillin and eugenol showed appetite-enhancing effects, whereas isoeugenol and safrole did not. These results suggest that the appetite-enhancing effects could be attributable to the vanillyl group and could be affected by the position of the double bond in the aliphatic chain. Furthermore, the results of intraperitoneal administration of eugenol and vanillin suggest that their appetite-enhancing effects could occur via stimulation of olfactory receptors.