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Vanilla
Vanilla is the fruit of an orchid, Vanilla planifolia G. Jacks or V. tahitensis Moore, from the Orchidaceae family. It is a perennial herbaceous climbing vine up to 25 meters high, with green stems and large white flowers, which have a deep narrow trumpet. The green capsules or fruits are ready to pick after eight or nine month in the plant, and then have to be cured. It is grown in Mexico, Madagascar; also Tahiti, the Comoro Islands, and East Africa, although the pods are often processed in Europe and USA.
The flavour of vanilla extract does vary considerably, depending primarily upon country of origin, but also upon crop-year, curing techniques used, storage conditions, extraction method and age of the vanilla extract himself. These flavour notes includes characteristic woody, pruney, resinous, leathery, floral and fruity aromatics. These flavour characteristics do not develop and/or are lost, in over-dried (low moisture) beans.
Vanilla extract is an oleoresin; it is extracted from the beans with alcohol. Distillation destroys the fragrance of the aromatic compounds. The colour of vanilla extract is influenced by the quality of the beans, the strength of the alcoholic quantity, the duration of the extraction, and the presence of glycerine, which is added to retard evaporation and to retain the flavour in the extract.
The principal constituents are vanillin (1.3 - 2.9%) with over 150 other constituents, many of them as traces: hydroxybenzaldehyde, acetic acid, isobutiric acid, caproic acid, eugenol and furfural, among others.
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I,II,III,IV - methyl and ethyl esters of p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol and vanillyl alcohol,
V - diastereoisomers of vitisporanes,
VIA, VIB - trimethypiperidonene,
VII, VIII, IX - anisyl alcohol, aldehyde and acid.
Vanilla extracts are used extensively in chocolate and baked products, but even more so in ice cream.
