Behind the Bottle
pollinated during this incredibly short period of time , it wilts , meaning no vanilla bean to harvest later .
Each flower only produces a small group of pods and the bean pods must mature for nine months before they ’ re harvested . Once ready , they ’ re handpicked and quickly taken for processing . The first step in processing the vanilla is called killing . It ’ s a startling name for sure , but it simply refers to dipping the green pods in a hot water bath for about three minutes to stop their development .
Once this step is complete , the pods are transferred to wooden boxes for sweating , which activates enzymes in the beans that cause them to soften and turn the dark colour you ’ re more familiar with . The pods rest in the wooden boxes at a warm temperature for 24 to 48 hours .
After sweating , the pods need to be dried . Farmers expose them to direct morning sunlight for a few hours a day for 10 days , then shade dry them in a well-ventilated warehouse for two months .
Next , the beans are conditioned . The pods are sorted based on their moisture content , colour and quality and then they ’ re stored in wooden boxes for two to three months . This causes the beans to fully develop their flavour and aroma . Throughout the process , the pods are checked and re-sorted regularly to ensure the highest quality possible .
Processing Clean and Pure Vanilla Absolute
For dōTERRA , this isn ’ t the end product . To create our pure vanilla absolute , the vanilla pods must first go through a CO 2 extraction process that involves grinding the beans into small pieces and placing them in a pressurised extraction vessel . CO 2 supercritical fluid dissolves and separates the components of the vanilla beans , which allows the volatile and nonvolatile active compounds of vanilla to be captured and concentrated .
In a separator , these compounds are divided from each other and the CO 2 supercritical fluid is converted into a gas , leaving the vanilla extract clean and free of any solvent residuals . Then , after months of hard work , the last step is using a clean , natural alcohol solvent to remove any residual waxes or other components to produce the final product : pure and natural vanilla absolute .
This time-intensive process makes vanilla an expensive spice . In fact , the only spice that ’ s more expensive on the world market is saffron . As a result , many companies create synthetic vanilla fragrances and flavourings to save both time and money . It ’ s estimated that most vanilla-flavoured products on the market don ’ t actually contain any vanilla .
Finally , once the beans are fully mature , they ’ re sorted one final time and are packaged for shipping .
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