How is vanilla flavouring made?

Puddings, pies, cookies, yoghurts, custards... Vanilla is one of the most used spices in pastry, and even in cooking, since it can be incorporated wonderfully in savory preparations. However, vanilla beans being very expensive, individuals and professionals are turning more and more to vanilla flavoring. We explain you how it is made!

A few drops of vanilla food flavoring are enough to give your recipes a delicious vanilla taste - woody, fruity, caramelized or even buttery depending on the recipe. There are several types of vanilla flavors on the market, all of which are governed by clear legislation on the subject. At the European level, food flavors are regulated by the "Flavor Regulation (EC) No. 1334/2008. The latter defines them as products "used to improve or modify the odor and/or taste of food for the benefit of the consumer. The text also specifies that "the use of flavourings should not mislead the consumer; therefore, their presence in food should always be indicated by appropriate labelling. In particular, flavourings should not be used in such a way as to mislead the consumer as to the nature, freshness and quality of the ingredients used, the naturalness of a product or of its manufacturing process or the nutritional quality of the product". Here are a few tips on how to decipher your vanilla flavouring labels so you know what you're putting in your preparations.

The vanilla flavouring

Thanks to current industrial methods, flavourists are able to reproduce an impressive range of flavours in a chemical way. So the name "vanilla flavouring" simply means that the flavourists have reproduced the taste of vanilla using flavouring substances that are not obtained naturally.

Natural vanilla flavouring

If your flavoring says "natural", it means that the molecules in the flavoring are derived from natural products - but not necessarily from vanilla itself. Natural vanilla flavoring is a composition of several natural flavoring substances. In fact, several molecules that make up the distinctive taste of vanilla are found in other products, which can be assembled to reconstitute the final taste of vanilla. Vanillin, a major component of vanilla, is found in many products such as turmeric, cloves or rice bran. We are in this case in the presence of a natural raw material which is not vanilla, but which remains of natural origin, not chemically composed in laboratory.

The natural vanilla flavor

When we speak of natural flavor DE, it means that the flavor is derived at least 95% of the raw material, and that the remaining 5% are made of other natural sources. In the case of vanilla, at least 95% of the natural vanilla flavor must come from the raw material vanilla, i.e. the beans. For this reason, natural vanilla flavors are made from vanilla extract. Vanilla extract is made through a process called "extraction": vanilla beans are immersed in a solvent made of alcohol and water (a hydroalcoholic solution), in which they will infuse. To make an alcohol-free extract, the vanilla infusion is heated so that the alcohol evaporates: a paste is obtained. The proportions are subject to strict regulations: in the United States, for example, vanilla extract must contain at least 35% alcohol and 100 grams of vanilla beans per liter. The remaining 5% must also be derived from natural sources, and their formulation is also strictly regulated: flavourists cannot reproduce the taste of 95% with this 5%. This part of the flavour can only give a typicality, give more fresh, spicy, biscuity, buttery or milky notes to the original vanilla. Vanilla must be the first flavor to be recognized, even if its aromatic profile can be worked on. At Nerolian, two natural vanilla flavors are offered for sale: an organic, alcohol-free natural vanilla flavor and a natural vanilla flavor.