Abstract
Abstract The isotopic composition of vanillin was investigated in order to distinguish synthetic wood lignin vanillin and natural vanilla-extracted vanillin. Natural vanillin is enriched in deuterium and carbon-13 as compared to synthetic vanillin. This enrichment probably results from differences in the synthetic pathways of this compound. In particular, carbon isotope fractionation is associated with photosynthesis; this fractionation lowers the 13C/12C ratio by about 20 0/00, relative to atmospheric carbon dioxide, for the Calvin cycle in photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation, which occurs in trees. The fractionation factor is even lower, about 13 0/00, for the orchid Vanilla planifolia Andrews in which the Crassulacean acid metabolic pathway probably operates.
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