Vanilla orchids - Kauai Nursery & Landscaping, Inc.

Artificial vanilla extract
verses Real vanilla extract
Pure vanilla has hundreds of elemental chemicals that give it its complex taste, and is currently impossible to
replicate in a laboratory. Vanillin is the primary compound that produces the vanilla aroma and taste we are so
familiar with; it is found naturally in roasted coffee and in some species of pine. Vanilla beans typically contain about
2% of vanillin, and “frost” or crystals sometimes seen on the outside of the bean are pure crystals of vanillin.
Imitation vanilla is made synthetically in a laboratory as opposed to real vanilla extract, which is more expensive and
can be made at home. In imitation vanilla extract, vanillin is manufactured from a variety of sources. The two most
common sources are oil or lignin. Lignin used in imitation vanilla is a by product of the paper industry, resulting
from the sulfite process of making wood pulp. Oil-based extract can come from a variety of sources, including clove
oil or from a petrochemical raw material called guaiacol. Guaiacol is also found in the digestive system of locusts.
Lignin-based imitation extracts are reputed to have a deeper flavor. Other ingredients in imitation vanilla often
include sugar, alcohol, and artificial color.
Pure vanilla extract typically contains only alcohol and vanilla beans. Sometimes producers add water to meet FDA
standards as the FDA requires vanilla extract to be 35% alcohol. The other major FDA requirement is that there
must be at least 13.25 oz. of vanilla beans per gallon. This breaks down to .8 oz of beans (typically 6 beans) per cup
of 80 proof alcohol. Alcohols typically used in making extract are vodka, bourbon, and rum.
“Vanilla flavoring” is sometimes sold
in the extract areas of grocery stores
and in some packaged foods. Vanilla
flavoring is made up of both imitation
vanilla and real vanilla extract.
HOW TO MAKE VANILLA EXTRACT
6~8 Grade B Vanilla beans
1 cup alcohol such as vodka
Dark glass bottle with cap (Sterilized)
1. Cut beans lengthwise and scrape caviar (inside);
chop skins into small pieces
2. Fill bottle with skins and caviar
3. Add your choice of alcohol
4. Shake the bottle everyday for a week, then
a few times a week for a month
5. After 6 months, strain with a coffee filter into
a sterilized bottle to store it.