The Changing World of Vanilla

Dairy Foods, May, 2001 by Donna Berry

Because nothing beats the taste of all-natural vanilla, suppliers -- in order to offer processors vanilla that they can afford during the current Hurricane Hudah shortage -- have been exploring new options for vanilla bean sourcing and extracting.

Vanilla bean importers and flavor suppliers typically source vanilla beans from commercial crops grown in Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico and Tahiti. However, they are now looking to other tropical regions of the world, where natives have worked diligently at perfecting the art of cultivating and pollinating vanilla orchids. Expect to see more vanilla suppliers in the next few years offering high-quality vanilla extracts and essences from various islands in the Pacific such as Tonga and Papua New Guinea, as well ascertain nations in Central Africa and India.

Vanilla beans are even being produced domestically. This past year, Meadow Gold Dairies in Honolulu introduced Hawaiian Vanilla Bean ice cream. The company is using vanilla extracted from the very first crop of commercially grown vanilla beans in Hawaii--and the United States. The beans are grown and processed on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.

In addition to finding new geographical sources of high-quality vanilla beans, dairy processors also have more options when choosing how vanilla is extracted. Research conducted at the University of Missouri indicates that the same type of vanilla, (i.e., bourbon vanilla) extracted from beans by different methods tastes the same when it is one of many ingredients in a homogenous food. In other words, cold-pressed, hot-pressed, chemically or carbon dioxide extracted vanilla can taste the same in a finished product, depending upon the other ingredients and the finished product composition. Extraction processes vary in cost, and this research suggests that processors can save money by sourcing the most economically extracted vanilla for a particular application.

A rather new vanilla for the dairy industry is vanilla essence. Essence differs from extract in that extracts are required by FDA to contain a minimum 35% alcohol. Having no alcohol in all-natural vanilla offers many advantages. Ice cream processors, for instance, do not have to worry about the alcohol lowering the freezing temperature, which can have a negative effect on finished product quality. Transportation costs are also reduced because unnecessary solvent isn't part of the shipping weight and there's no need to pay hazardous material surcharges. Vanilla essence is available in 50-fold concentrations. Talk about a little going a long way! In order to conform to labeling regulations, please use caution if you replace any of the natural vanilla components in a formulation with any other flavor. See p. 53 for new vanilla offerings from suppliers.