Sandrine Bodin , technical service manager , and Caroline Calin , technical marketing manager , at Syensqo , look at ways to authenticate the origin of natural vanillin
How to boost business sustainability through vanillin authentication
Sandrine Bodin , technical service manager , and Caroline Calin , technical marketing manager , at Syensqo , look at ways to authenticate the origin of natural vanillin
The sweet , delectable taste of vanilla is one of the bestknown and loved flavours in the world . The vanilla orchid , which originates in Mexico , requires a specific species of bee that exists only in its native land as its natural pollinator . Consequently , in Madagascar , which accounts for over 80 % of the global market , a handpollination technique is needed for successful cultivation .
Vanilla bean farming is thus a labour-intensive and delicate process , resulting in variability in terms of supply , price and quality . Indeed , the global demand for vanilla flavour cannot be met by cultivated vanilla beans alone .
Vanillin sources
Vanillin is the main characteristic aroma component , naturally occurring in cured vanilla beans , and represents between 1 % and 2 % of the dry matter . There is an increasing global demand for this flavour in a wide array of applications , including bakery , chocolate , baby food , dairy and beverages , and more recently in nutrition , such as plant-based alternatives and meat substitutes .
Ingredient suppliers have therefore developed a variety of vanillin flavours , that can be synthetic and also natural , to meet the growing market demand for natural ingredients .
Vanilla has historically been open to adulteration due to variability in price and quality , and natural vanillin is no exception . Regulations play a key role in protecting consumers
Carbon 13 distribution in organic compounds
C3 plants
CAM - plants
C4 plants
CAM - Vanilla
Atm . co 2
C4 sugar cane
C3 Beet sugar
------------------ ---- Petroleum
-80
613C
Natural gas
-70 -60 -50 -40
Coal from fraudulent products and misleading labelling . Among the numerous regulations defining ‘ natural flavour ’, it is generally advisable to follow the EU regulations , as they are the most stringent and generally allow global recognition as a natural flavour .
According to European Regulation EC 1334 / 2008 , three conditions must all be met in order to be fully compliant with the strict European natural flavouring substance definition and meet the ‘ natural flavour ’ labelling regulations :
• The flavouring substance must be naturally present and must have been identified in nature
• The material source must be of vegetal , animal or microbiological origin in the raw state or after processing for human consumption by one or more of the traditional food preparation processes ( listed in Annex II of the regulation )
• The flavouring substance must be obtained via specific
-30 -20 -10 0
( 13 C / 12 C ) VPDB = 0.01124
Figure 1 - Values found for C 12 / C 13 ratios based on different photosynthesis pathways
appropriate physical , enzymatic or microbiological processes In the US , according to US Regulation , FDA 21CFR101.22 ( a )( 3 ), two conditions must be fulfilled :
• The raw material must be of plant , or animal origin
• The process must be physical , enzymatic , microbiological or a naturally occurring biological process according to ( FDA ) 21CFR101.22 ( a )( 3 ) Today , various vanillin flavours are available in the market that are mainly derived from guaiacol , lignin , turmeric , eugenol , ferulic acid and glucose . However , not all of them have the same labelling status . Some are considered synthetic vanillin , some are compliant with EU natural flavour labelling and some may meet US natural flavour compliance only .
In addition , the US Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau ( TTB ) recognises some specific processes that allow vanillin to obtain natural status in alcoholic beverages , based
36 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981