From cookies, cakes, and pies to beverages, coffee, and pasta sauces, vanilla flavor is used everywhere in the food industry. The flavor adds a rich mouthfeel to food products and also acts as a great taste enhancer. Vanilla extract contains a compound called vanillin which is extracted from vanilla beans. It requires a minimum of 35% alcohol and 13.35 ounces of vanilla bean per gallon of extract to get a pure vanilla extract solution. There are various varieties of vanilla beans collected from all over the world including Mexican, Tahitian, and Indonesian, among which Bourbon vanilla is considered the best.
We now know how vanilla flavor is sourced but, have you ever wondered which ingredients are used in making vanilla flavor? Let’s review them in detail.
Ingredients Used In Vanilla Flavor
The ingredients used in vanilla flavor are natural and artificial flavors with a blend of alcohol.
1. Vanilla Beans
The main component of vanilla extract is vanilla beans, which consist of more than 50% of the formulation. The vanilla flavor is extracted from the thin pod beans. Various varieties of beans are produced in various parts of the world; the most popular is the Madagascar bean. These Madagascar beans contain rich vanilla extract, have a strong flavor, and are thus most preferred.
2. Vanillin
When the vanilla flavor is not made naturally, the compound that gives vanilla flavor is vanillin. It is a synthetic replacement for these artificial preparations and is also known as ethyl vanillin. It does not have an authentic vanilla bean flavor or taste but it is good enough for many commercial products.
3. Water And Alcohol
As the extract is removed from the beans, it is sent for dilution and processing. Water gives enough liquid consistency and aids in even distribution throughout the dish. Alcohol makes the extract taste less bitter and vodka makes the extract more edible. You can use alcohol if you prepare vanilla extract at home, but vodka is the preferred choice for commercial purposes.
4. Sugar & Artificial Color
The vanilla extract and alcohol give a bitter taste to the flavor thus, you need to add sugar to sweeten it. Sugar is also an important ingredient for infusing the vanilla into alcohol. Water, regardless if your use is natural or artificial, is needed for better dissolution of all the ingredients. It also balances the content of the extract and the contents of the dishes.
In the commercial food industry, taste and mouthfeel are not just enough to upscale the product but the flavor must also be appealing to the customers. Thus, an artificial color is often used in very tiny amounts to make the product look presentable.
Conclusion
The vanilla flavor is widely used to make several recipes taste delicious. Many manufacturers add vanilla flavor as a finishing to their food products to give a pure and rounded feel to the overall taste.
Use Excesa to find your vanilla supplier for your specific purpose regardless of what it may be. Whether your needs are for natural, organic, or artificial vanilla or other flavors you can find your supplier on Excesa!