Vanilla Research Articles

Enzyme-Assisted Process for Production of Superior Quality Vanilla Extracts from Green Vanilla Pods Using Tea Leaf Enzymes

Vanilla planifolia Andrews is a perennial tropical vine and is an orchid grown for its pleasant flavor. There is an increasing trend world over for using natural flavors. Vanilla being an important food flavoring ingredient, the demand for natural vanilla extract is increasing. Hence, the aim of the present study was to prepare vanilla extract from green beans without going through the elaborate and time-consuming conventional curing process. Vanilla beans after size reduction were mixed in a suitable proportion with tea leaf enzyme extract (TLEE) and incubated to facilitate action of enzymes on vanilla flavor precursors. The beans mix was squeezed, and the filtrate was treated with ethanol to extract the vanilla flavor. TLEE-treated extracts had higher vanillin content (4.2%) compared to Viscozyme extract (2.4%). Also, it had higher intensity of vanilla flavor, sweet, and floral notes. Further, electronic nose analysis confirmed the discrimination between extracts. It was concluded that the use of TLEE is very much useful to obtain higher yield of vanilla extract and superior quality vanilla flavor, which avoids the traditional laborious and time-consuming curing process.

Effect of blends of short and long-chain inulin on the rheological and sensory properties of prebiotic low-fat custards

Long-chain inulin (TEX) and short-chain inulin (CLR) combined in different proportions (25:75, 50:50, and 75:25) were added (7.5 g/100 g) to low-fat custards and their rheological and sensory properties were studied. The effect of the inulin blends on the rheological properties depended on the presence of λ-carrageenan (0.01 g/100 g). Slight variations were observed when inulin blends were added to custards without λ-carrageenan, whereas in samples with carrageenan, there was an important increase in thixotropy, consistency and elasticity. In both cases (samples with and without carrageenan), the differences perceived by assessors indicated that the blends 50:50 and 25:75 TEX:CLR were those affording greater thickness, sweetness and vanilla flavour intensity to the custards. Addition of inulin blends to low-fat samples did not manage to fully emulate the rheological behaviour of full-fat custard. However, the low-fat sample with the inulin blend 50:50 TEX:CLR added was perceived to have the same creaminess and thickness as the full-fat sample. The use of this blend combined with carrageenan gave thicker, creamier custard, which was preferred over the full-fat custard.

COMPARISON OF ATTRIBUTE LIKING AND JAR SCALES TO EVALUATE THE ADEQUACY OF SENSORY ATTRIBUTES OF MILK DESSERTS

ABSTRACT Just‐about‐right (JAR) scales and attribute liking questions are usually used to study consumer perception of the sensory characteristics of food products. The aim of the present work was to compare the performance of attribute liking and JAR scales to evaluate consumers' perceived adequacy of flavor and texture of milk puddings. Two groups of consumers were asked to evaluate eight milk desserts using (1) overall liking followed by attribute liking for texture and flavor and (2) overall liking followed by JAR scales for thickness, creaminess, sweetness and vanilla flavor. Overall liking scores were significantly different when JAR scales or attribute liking questions were considered. Texture, flavor and overall liking scores were highly correlated to each other, providing the same information. JAR scales correlated better with the intensity of sensory attributes evaluated by a trained sensory panel, being JAR percentages a reliable tool to study the adequacy of sensory attributes. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSResults from the present work showed that consumers might not be able to independently evaluate their liking of different sensory attributes of a product. For this reason, the use of attribute liking questions for studying the adequacy of sensory attributes in complex products would not be recommended. JAR scales were better indicators of the adequacy of sensory attributes. Consumers were able to independently evaluate texture and flavor attributes using JAR scales. However, the influence of JAR scales on overall liking scores should be taken into account when including these scales on consumer studies.

The effect of vanilla flavoured calf starter on performance of Holstein calves

Twenty one male Holstein calves were used to evaluate the effects of vanilla flavour added to starter on preweaning and postweaning calf performance. Following 3 d of colostrum and transition milk feeding, calves were assigned in a completely randomized design to two treatments including: 1. unflavoured starter and 2. flavoured starter. Calves were fed whole milk at 10% of the initial body weight daily and had free access to starter and water. The weaning criterion was defined as the calf age at a daily intake of 0.80 kg of starter for 2 days, consecutively. Calves fed flavoured starter weighed more at weaning and at the end of experiment and the preweaning average daily gains increased significantly compared with calves fed unflavoured starter. The starter consumption during the preweaning but not postweaning period was significantly higher in calves fed flavoured starter. The calves fed flavoured starter met weaning criteria at a younger age, so that they had 2 to 3 days shorter preweaning period (P<0.03). These findings demonstrate that supplementing starter with vanilla as a flavour agent is advantageous to calf performance.

Derivatives on Regional Commodity Exchanges

Classic commodity derivatives, i.e. futures, forward and options contracts have been in existence for a long time. However, 1970s have become a kind of turning point in evolution of derivatives applications as well as in financial engineering, too. At that time standard options pricing models were carried out and options were introduced to organised exchanges. Basics for a future market of exotic options were forming simultaneously. Exotics are the options that regard individual preferences of investors. In the next years the assortment of exotic options has been consequently evolving and investors started to notice possible benefits connected with their employment. The most important of the benefits are: a lower price and non-standard character. Very often exotic options are relatively inexpensive when compared to a linear combination of vanilla options. They are also very flexible. This means that if an instrument satisfying investors’ needs does not exist, it can always be “financially engineered”. That is not always possible when using only standard options. In the world, exotic options are generally traded on over-the-counter markets, although in the United States the most standard of exotics: barrier and lookback options have been introduced also to formal markets. In 1990 in Poland in consequence of political changes some commodity exchanges were founded. At the beginning, only cash transactions took place on all AESTIMUM 43, dicembre 2003: 25-32

Influência dos teores de aveia e de gordura nas características tecnológicas e funcionais de bolos

O presente trabalho objetivou estudar o emprego de aveia e de gordura nas caracteristicas tecnologicas e funcionais de bolos. No estudo foram utilizados os ingredientes flocos e farinha de aveia (Avena sativa L.) do cultivar IAC 7 (30% de flocos grossos tostados e 70% de farinha), previamente selecionados com base na composicao quimica, farinha de trigo, acucar, sal, fermento quimico, emulsificante, leite em po, ovo inteiro, sorbitol e aroma de baunilha. O experimento foi realizado em delineamento composto central rotacional aplicavel a metodologia de superficie de resposta (MSR), sendo os teores de aveia (flocos, farinha) e gordura estabelecidos como variaveis independentes. Os resultados de densidade da massa, viscosidade da massa, composicao quimica, energia metabolizavel, volume especifico, atividade de agua, caracteristicas internas, porosidade e cor foram tratados por analise de regressao multipla, obtendo-se modelo matematico de segunda ordem com os termos lineares, quadraticos e de interacao significativos. A aveia pode ser utilizada na elaboracao de bolos de valor calorico reduzido e como fonte de fibras alimentares atendendo as caracteristicas de alimento funcional. A densidade da massa variou com a quantidade de gordura da formulacao, enquanto que a viscosidade, com a concentracao de aveia. A porosidade do miolo foi influenciada pelas concentracoes de aveia e de gordura utilizadas nas formulacoes. Com a elevacao do teor de aveia e a diminuicao de gordura nas formulacoes ocorreu um aumento da area, diâmetro e perimetro medios dos alveolos.

Comparison of extraction techniques and modeling of accelerated solvent extraction for the authentication of natural vanilla flavors

Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) of vanilla beans has been optimized using ethanol as a solvent. A theoretical model is proposed to account for this multistep extraction. This allows the determination, for the first time, of the total amount of analytes initially present in the beans and thus the calculation of recoveries using ASE or any other extraction technique. As a result, ASE and Soxhlet extractions have been determined to be efficient methods, whereas recoveries are modest for maceration techniques and depend on the solvent used. Because industrial extracts are obtained by many different procedures, including maceration in various solvents, authenticating vanilla extracts using quantitative ratios between the amounts of vanilla flavor constituents appears to be unreliable. When authentication techniques based on isotopic ratios are used, ASE is a valid sample preparation technique because it does not induce isotopic fractionation.

Quantification and characterisation of polyphenol oxidase from vanilla bean

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) of Vanilla planifolia Andrews beans was extracted and purified through ammonium sulphate precipitation, dialysis, and gel filtration chromatography. PPO activity was measured by improved UV technique using 4-methylcatechol and catechol as substrates increasing substantial sensitivity of previous procedure. The optimum pH and temperature for PPO activity were found to be 3.0 and 3.4 and 37 °C, respectively. Km and Vmax values were found to be 10.6 mM/L and 13.9 OD300 min−1 for 4-methylcatechol and 85 mM/L and 107.2 OD300 min−1 for catechol. In an inhibition test, the most potent inhibitor was found to be 4-hexylresorcinol followed by ascorbic acid. The thermal inactivation curve was biphasic. Activation energy (Ea) and z values were calculated as 92.10 kJ mol−1 and 21 °C, respectively.

Acceptability of Milk and Soymilk Vanilla Beverages: Demographics Consumption Frequency and Sensory Aspects

Acceptance of food is basically the result of the interaction between food and humans, and it depends not only on the product characteristics but also on those of each consumer. The main objective of this study is to analyze how the acceptability of milk and soymilk vanilla beverages is influenced by demographic characteristics, consumer habits and individual preferences, and the sensorial properties of both products. Six commercial samples, comprising three milk beverages and three soymilk beverages of different brands and characteristics, were sensorially evaluated. Overall acceptability was tested by 142 consumers using a 9-point hedonic scale, and 36 assessors ranked the samples from the least to the most intense according to their yellow color, brightness, vanilla flavor intensity, sweetness, and thickness. The milk samples were significantly (P&lt;0.05) more acceptable than the soymilk ones and were perceived as being stronger yellow and less light in color, with a more intense sweetness, stronger vanilla flavor, and thicker consistency. The results obtained led us to the conclusion that the difference in acceptability between milk and soymilk beverages is more closely related to their sensorial attributes than to other characteristics (demographic, consumer habits, and individual preferences) of the consumer population surveyed.

Identification of Novel Orosensory Active Molecules in Cured Vanilla Beans (Vanilla planifolia)

Sequential application of solvent extraction, gel permeation chromatography, and HPLC in combination with taste dilution analyses, followed by LC-MS and 1D/2D NMR experiments, led to the discovery of seven velvety mouth-coating molecules in cured beans of Vanilla planifolia . Among these, 5-(4-hydroxybenzyl)vanillin, 4-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-2-methoxyphenol, 4-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-5-methoxybenzaldehyde, (1-O-vanilloyl)-(6-O-feruloyl)-beta-d-glucopyranoside, americanin A, and 4',6'-dihydroxy-3',5-dimethoxy-[1,1'-biphenyl]-3-carboxaldehyde were previously not reported in vanilla beans. Sensory studies revealed human recognition thresholds for the velvety mouth-coating sensation between 1.0 and 5.0 mumol/kg (water). Interestingly, the biphenyl derivatives were found to enhance the perception of creaminess and fatty body of sweetened skim milk, among which 4',6'-dihydroxy-3',5-dimethoxy-[1,1'-biphenyl]-3-carboxaldehyde showed the lowest threshold level of 5 mumol/kg. Quantitative analysis of these compounds in cured vanilla beans from different origins as well as in noncured beans revealed that, with the exception of americanin A, all of the other taste compounds are not present in the green vanilla beans and are formed during the bean curing process.

Optimising acceptability of new prebiotic low-fat milk beverages

The purpose of this work was to optimise the acceptability of two low-fat milk beverages with different types of inulin (CLR and TEX!) using Response Surface Methodology. Sixteen formulations of beverage with each inulin type were prepared, varying inulin concentration (3–8%), and sucrose concentration (0–8%). A group of 50 consumers evaluated the acceptability of the samples and tested the appropriateness of some sensory attributes intensity (colour, vanilla flavour, sweetness and thickness) using just about right scales. Response surface plots showed that formulations containing 5–8% CLR and 4–6.5% sucrose and formulations containing 4–6.5% for both TEX! inulin and sucrose were located in the optimum region. The sweetness and the thickness were the attributes that most affected the acceptability of the samples. The two low-fat samples (one for each inulin type) selected as the optimum showed no differences in acceptability ( α = 0.05) between them neither when compared with a full fat control sample.

Anitmicrobial activity of Vanilla planifolia

Vanilla planifolia is a popular orchid species and the present study investigates its antimicrobial activity against few pathogenic bacteria. The active ingredient of the Vanilla extract was resolved by HPLC and the compounds identified were flavonoid and alkaloid in nature.

The extent of genetic diversity among Vanilla species: Comparative results for RAPD and ISSR

Vanilla is a large genus of about 110 species in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), including the species Vanilla planifolia from which commercial vanilla flavoring is derived. Since most species of vanilla are considered rare and endangered there is an urgent need to conserve them through genetic analysis and propagation/conservation studies on this crop. The present study investigated the genetic diversity among nine leafy- and leaf-less Vanilla species employing 30 decamer RAPD primers and 10 ISSR primers. The species under study were diverse and displayed a range of variability (0–66% and 0–81% for RAPD and ISSR, respectively). A total of 154 RAPD polymorphic markers (83.24%, h = 0.378) and 93 ISSR polymorphic markers (86.11%, h = 0.363) were used to generate a genetic similarity matrix followed by the cluster analysis. Specific groupings were revealed by each cluster analysis with slight variation between two different markers. Among the nine species studied, V. planifolia, Vanilla aphylla and Vanilla tahitensis revealed very low level of variation within their collections, thus indicating a narrow genetic base. The large genetic distance of Vanilla andamanica from other species suggests its different origin. A close genetic affinity was observed between the pairs V. planifolia, V. tahitensis and Vanilla albida, V. aphylla. These are the first comparative results for RAPD and ISSR reporting inter-relationship among nine cultivated, wild and hybrid Vanilla species.

Microchips for CE: Breakthroughs in real‐world food analysis

The well-known complexity of food matrices is approached using CE microchips with different strategies to improve the selectivity and sensitivity of the analysis by avoiding and/or making the sample preparation as simple as possible: (i) enhancing the peak capacity in order to perform direct injection, (ii) using the microchip platform to measure one target analyte/group of analytes with or without separating other related interferences, (iii) integrating sample preparation steps on the microchip platform, and (iv) integrating new analytical tools from nanotechnology in the detection stage. New analyte separations of food significance involving DNA probes, biogenic amines, vanilla flavors, and dyes have been reported as successfully breaking new barriers in areas of high impact in the market, such as transgenic food analysis, as well as the detection of frauds and toxins. Simple microchip layouts are still the most common designs used, though sophisticated new ones are emerging. In contrast to other application areas, electrochemical detection continues to be the most common detection route, followed by LIF, though non-conventional detection routes are also emerging, such as chemiluminescence or UV. In terms of analytical performance, the integration of calibration and quality control on a microchip platform, and remarkable accuracy and precision are being obtained using creative analytical methodologies that enhance the analytical potency of microfluidic chips for their future commercialization. This review critically states the most important advances derived from work done in the field over the past 2-3 years.

Protocol for isolation of vanillin from ice cream and yoghurt to confirm the vanilla beans origin by 13C-EA-IRMS

An analytical method for the stable isotope ratio analysis of vanillin in ice cream and yoghurt is described. The milk proteins were removed by precipitation and vanillin was extracted by liquid–liquid extraction. Several solvents were tested to achieve maximum recovery for vanillin. Separation from accompanying components was performed by semipreparative HPLC. After chromatography several sample preparation techniques for the off-line transfer of the vanillin fractions were tested and optimised to minimise losses of vanillin. The 13C/ 12C ratio of the fractions was determined by 13C-EA-IRMS. The method was applied to samples obtained from local food stores. The majority of the samples contained authentic vanillin.

Vanillin bioproduction from alkaline hydrolyzate of corn cob by Escherichia coli JM109/pBB1

Hydrolysis of corn cob performed for 6 h with 0.5 N NaOH at solid/liquid ratio of 0.084 g/g allowed obtaining a hydrolyzate containing 1171 ± 34 mg/l ferulic acid and 2156 ± 63 mg/l p-coumaric acid that was used as a medium for vanillin bioproduction by the engineered strain Escherichia coli JM109/pBB1. Aiming at maximizing vanillin bioproduction, the effects of medium heat sterilization, one-stage or two-stage pre-cultivation, adaptation of the microorganism to the hydrolyzate and inoculum biomass level were investigated. Biomass pre-cultivated once in unsterilized hydrolyzate was able to effectively convert ferulic and p-coumaric acids to a mixture of vanillin, vanillic acid and vanillyl alcohol provided with the typical vanilla flavor. At initial biomass concentration of 0.5 g DM/l, maximum values of vanillin concentration (239 ± 15 mg/l), vanillin yield on consumed ferulic acid (0.66 ± 0.03 mol/mol) and vanillin volumetric productivity (10.9 ± 0.7 mg/lh) were obtained after 22 h.

The effect of thermal treatment on β‐glucosidase inactivation in vanilla bean (Vanilla planifolia Andrews)

SummaryThe conditions for enzyme activity (pH and temperature) and kinetic parameters for the thermal inactivation of β‐glucosidase enzyme in vanilla beans have been investigated. The maximum enzyme activity was detected at pH 6.5 and 38 °C. The values obtained for Vmax and Km were 62.05 units and 2.07 mm, respectively. When hot water treatment (the most practical method of vanilla bean killing) was applied, β‐glucosidase treated at pH 6.0 and 60 °C for 3 min lost 51% of activity, while at 70 °C for 90 s the enzyme lost 60% of activity and at 80 °C for 30 s the enzyme lost 48% of its activity. When vanilla beans were cured in an oven at 60 °C for 36 to 48 h all β‐glucosidase activity was lost.

Biotic elicitors enhance flavour compounds during accelerated curing of vanilla beans

Food-grade elicitors, selected after an initial screening, were used in combination with pre-treatments for the accelerated curing of beans. When acetone dried red beet elicitor – a rich source of peroxidase (98,500 U g −1 dry weight) was used, 2.65% vanillin was formed in 10 days, which was 1.7-fold higher than in control beans (blanched + scarified) of this study and 3.23-fold higher than the conventional curing (0.82%). HPLC analysis of elicitor-treated samples showed the formation of almost all the major compounds found in the conventionally cured beans (cured for 3–6 months) with better sensorial properties. These observations appear useful for developing a rapid process for the curing of vanilla beans.

The Funky and the Vanilla

The Funky and the Vanilla

Commercial quality and analytical parameters of cured vanilla beans (Vanilla planifolia) from different origins from the 2006–2007 crop

AbstractAn overview on the vanilla bean production and commercial grades from the major vanilla producing areas is given. More than 90 samples of cured vanilla beans from the 2006–2007 crop were obtained and the samples were classified into commercial grades. The concentration of vanillin, vanillic acid, p‐hydroxybenzaldehyde and p‐hydroxybenzoic acid was determined and related to shape, length and colour of the beans. Huge differences in analytical parameters between origins and from batch to batch were found. From Madagascar beans only 50% meet all values of the so‐called ‘ratios’. Many samples contained less vanillin than required by some authorities. The average vanillin content of all Madagascar samples was 1.76 g/100 g. Sensory evaluation of extracts showed no clear relationship between vanillin content and sensory profile of the vanilla extracts. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.