[Natural Perfumery] vanilla and intro..long

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I'm new here. I signed up before Christmas and am just now getting around to

introducing myself.

I recognize a few faces....hello Ylva!

I have a budding little home-based business making non-soap toiletries.

I made a business decision earlier this year to dump all FO's. (Even though

many were major sellers) I will loose business, but over-all, I think it's the

best decision for me. I really enjoy using EO's and want to " showcase " natures

treasures. Hopefully, in turn, others will be inspired by all that natures

gives us as well.

Lately, I've been on a vanilla kick. I really, really want some vanilla

CO2, but don't have 200 plus dollars for an ounce of it. So, I've been

researching infusing vanilla beans. Below is a very long description of

vanilla. I found it interesting because it discussed the differences between

different varieties. Some have better flavor and others have better aroma. For

the life of me, I can't figure out where I found it :-(.

Take care and I look forward to learning and contributing. I'm sorry if

this is too long and cumbersome.

Amy

4 Vanilla

Vanilla is the fully grown fruit of the orchid Vanilla fragrans harvested before

it is fully ripe; then it is fermented and cured. The fruits are usually

referred to as vanilla beans. Vanilla production is regulated by ISO standard

5565.

4.1 Where does Vanilla come from?

Vanilla is native to Mexico, Guatemala and other parts of Central America. At

the present time, it grows also in Madagascar, the Seychelles, Tahiti, Réunion

and other tropical areas. The first recorded use of the spice in European

literature dates back to 1520, when Moctezuma II offered vanilla flavoured

chocolate to Hernán Cortés. However, the use of tlilxochitl (Nahuatl for

vanilla) is earlier documented in the precolumbian literature.

4.2 What is Vanillin?

Vanillin is a crystalline phenolic aldehyde C_8H_8O_3 that is the chief fragrant

component of vanilla and is used especially in flavouring and in perfumery.

Vanillin can now be produced synthetically, and it is much cheaper than natural

vanilla.

4.3 Products

4.3.1 What is Vanilla Extract?

Vanilla extract is obtained by macerating the cured beans in a solution of water

and alcohol. It might contain sugar or glycerine as sweeteners or thickeners.

Conventional vanilla extracts have a minimum ethanol content of 35%, and contain

the soluble extractives from 1 part by weight of vanilla beans in 10 parts by

volume of hydroalcoholic solution.

4.3.2 How do I differentiate between real and unreal vanilla extract?

The two best indicators of pure vanilla extract are alcohol content and price.

The alcohol content must be at least 35%; synthetics usually have no alcohol or

at most, about 2%. Any purchases that cost less than US$25.00 a quart are most

likely synthetic.

4.3.3 What is vanilla flavouring?

It is similar to vanilla extract (see 4.3.1) but contains less than 35% of

ethanol per volume.

4.3.4 What is vanilla tincture?

It is used exclusively in pharmaceutical applications. It is prepared by

maceration from 1 part of vanilla beans by weight to 10 parts of hydroalcoholic

solution and contains added sugar. It differs from vanilla extract (see 5.3.1)

by having at least a 38% ethanol content.

4.3.5 What is concentrated vanilla extract and concentrated vanilla flavouring?

They are prepared by removing the solvent from their regular counterparts (see

4.3.1, 4.3.3).

4.3.6 What is Vanilla Oleoresin?

It is a semi-solid concentrate obtained by removing the solvent from the vanilla

extract. A solution of isopropanol is frequently used instead of ethanol for the

maceration. Vanilla oleoresin has lost part of its aroma --hence its flavour--

during the removal of the solvent.

4.3.7 What is Vanilla Powder?

Powdered vanilla beans. It might be pure, but normally it is adulterated with

vanilla oleoresin, sugar, food starch, or gum acacia.

4.3.8 What is Vanilla-Vanillin Extract Flavouring and Powder?

A combination of synthetic vanillin and vanilla oleoresin to create extract and

flavouring (see 4.3.1, 4.3.3, 4.3.7).

4.3.9 What is Perfumery Vanilla Tincture?

Similar to vanilla extract (see 5.3.1) but prepared with perfumery alcohol, with

near 90% ethanol content. It is not intended for consumption.

4.3.10 What is Vanilla Absolute?

It is the most concentrated form of vanilla. It is 7-13 times stronger than

good-quality vanilla beans but it has less well-rounded character.

4.4 Major types of Vanilla

4.4.1 What are vanilla splits?

Whole bean that burst open during fermentation, and are frosted with vanillin

crystals.

4.4.2 What are vanilla cuts?

Beans that have been cut into pieces to accelerate the curing process. This

category might include small beans.

4.4.3 What is Mexican Vanilla?

It is supplied in 5 grades (or 7 if intermediate grades are included) of whole

beans and in the form of cuts. The top grades of Mexican beans are rarely

``frosted'' with a surface coating of naturally exuded vanillin.

4.4.4 What is Bourbon vanilla?

It has a deeper `body' flavour than Mexican vanilla, but less fine aroma. It is

produced in Madagascar, the Comoro Islands and Réunion.

4.4.5 What is Indonesian vanilla?

The main source of Indonesian vanilla is Java. Java vanilla possesses a deep,

full-bodied flavour and is frequently used for blending with synthetic vanillin.

4.4.6 What is South American or West Indian Vanilla?

More similar in properties to Bourbon than to Mexican vanilla.

4.4.7 What is Tahiti vanilla?

It is obtained from V. tahitensis and possesses a characteristic aromatic odour

and usually has a lower vanillin content than true vanilla. It generally has

less flavour than true vanilla.

4.4.8 What is Vanillons (Guadeloupe vanilla or Antilles vanilla)?

It is obtained from V. pompona. Vanillons has a low vanillin content and

possesses a characteristic floral aroma, bearing similarities to Tahiti vanilla.

It has a poor flavour and it is normally used in perfumery.

4.4.9 Is it safe to buy Mexican vanilla?

Mexican vanilla has one of the finest aromas, however, most of the vanilla

extract sold in Mexico is artificial. In México there is almost a complete lack

of enforcement of labeling laws for vanilla. Furthermore, nowhere in the world

you can expect to buy a liter of real vanilla extract for a couple of dollars.

As a good example of this kind of problems, I have seen turmeric being sold as

saffron in a well known supermarket. So don't be cheap: if you want good

vanilla, pay the price of getting it from a reliable source; if you care for

price, use artificial vanilla.

4.5 For the do-it-yourselfer

4.5.1 How do I prepare Vanilla Extract?

San Mames shared the following recipe:

Use one vanilla bean for every 120 ml. of any clear liquor (vodka preferably).

With a knife, split the bean open (always put your finger behind the knife). If

the bean is hard, just break it into pieces. Then put the bean in the liquor.

Close the bottle and leave it for about two weeks or until the vanilla bean

aroma begins to come through. When you use the extract, if you don't want the

vanilla seeds to show with the ingredients, use a coffee filter. You can return

the seeds to the bottle. If you make ice cream, you may want to show the seeds

in the finished ice cream.

Bruce Steinberg added:

You can shake the bottle several times a week to accelerate the extraction.

may also be used for interesting variations. According to US regulations,

1 l. of vanilla extract must contain a minimum of 100 gr. of vanilla beans (I

reckon that each regular size complete bean must weight between 3 and 5 gr.) of

no more or 25% moisture content. Commercial extracts also include sugar and

glycerine, to help to ``fix'' the aroma.

4.5.2 How do I prepare vanilla sugar?

Store 1 or 2 vanilla beans on an air-tight jar of granulated sugar. Allow one

month for the flavour to permeate. If the beans are always topped with sugar,

the beans last for years. Use this sugar in sweet dishes. Storage temperature

can be raised to 15-21 Celsius without detriment to the flavour quality of the

beans.

4.5.3 How do I store my cured vanilla beans?

Vanilla beans should be stored in open containers at a temperature of about 10 C

at a low humidity

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