What is vanillin (also known as vanillin)?
Vanillin is the main compound in vanilla (vanilla) and is responsible for its pleasant aromatic flavor. It is an aldehyde that can replace vanilla extract and is called a vanilla imitation. As the world's most popular flavoring, vanillin is used in beverages and food products such as ice cream, dairy products, chocolate, cakes and other baked products.
Extracting natural vanillin from vanilla beans is labor-intensive, making its use in food products costly.
Therefore, approximately 90% of the world's vanillin is obtained synthetically from guaiacol, lignin or other substrates.
origin
Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is thought to have originated in Central and North America, primarily Mexico. Today, Comoros, Madagascar and Reunion Island are the main producers of vanilla. Various types of vanilla beans, such as bourbon, Tahitian, and Indonesian, all have different flavor profiles. Today, vanillin is usually produced synthetically from guaiacol or other substrates.
Vanillin has many uses in baked goods
- Flavor and Aroma: Delivers a sweet and tangy vanilla flavor and aroma.
- Antibacterial effect: It can be used as a food preservative in a variety of dairy products.
Nutrition
Typical nutritional value per 100 grams of commercially available vanillin or "imitation vanillin":
| Element | gram |
|---|---|
| water | 64.5 |
| carbohydrate | 2.41 |
| Ash | 0.22 |
| protein | 0.05 |
commercial production
The main processes for commercial production of vanillin include:
Vanilla bean biosynthesis
- Purchase mature vanilla beans (9 months old).
- Blanch: Place green vanilla beans in hot water at 60 – 70 oC (140 – 158 oF) for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Autoclaving: The vanilla beans from the previous step are then stored in the box for 2 - 5 days.
- Sweat out the sun: Spread the vanilla beans on a blanket in the sun and collect them at night. Repeat this step for two weeks.
- Drying: Dry for another 2 – 4 weeks or more until the moisture content reaches 25 – 40%.
- Storage for flavor development: Coffee beans are stored in small bundles in airtight boxes for several months.
Chemical synthesis of guaiacol
- Guaiacol condenses with glyoxylic acid in a weakly alkaline medium at room temperature.
- Air oxidation is carried out in the presence of a catalyst.
- Vanillin glucoside is hydrolyzed, acidified, and decarboxylated to obtain crude vanilla.
- vacuum distillation
- re-crystallize
application
Vanillin is used as a primary or secondary flavor in a variety of baked goods, and there are some factors that should be considered when using vanillin or vanillin in baked goods:
- Product ingredients and baking temperature:
- Low in fat and high in vanilla.
- High in protein and higher in vanilla.
- The higher the temperature, the higher the amount of vanilla.
- Spray dried or encapsulated vanilla flavors are better than liquid flavors.
- When using liquid vanilla, mix with fat and add later in the mix.
- Low temperatures help preserve herbs during baking or cooking.
regulations
Vanillin is considered GRAS by the FDA and has a standardized requirement of a maximum ethanol content of 35%.
In the EU, vanillin is considered safe; however, EU regulations distinguish between natural and synthetic vanillin. No catalysts or other enzymes are allowed in the production of natural flavors.
