VANILLIN

Vanillin

Originally, it was the Aztecs who used vanilla beans to give it its characteristic sweet taste. That is why vanilla became known to the rest of the world after 1500. Gradually, however, the demand for this extract increased significantly, which pushed the food industry to look for alternatives. So in 1874, a method was developed to extract glycosides from the trunk of a species of pine, which with proper processing made the coveted vanilla flavor easier to obtain.

The vanilla flavor could still be produced from eugenol, the dominant essential oil of cloves. In fact, this process continued until around 1920.

Today, our familiar vanillin now comes from the pulp of tree trunks, which give us the precursor chemical substance lignin and its derivative guaicol. There are several chemical routes for the synthesis of vanillin from guaiacol.

Vanillin is used in confectionery, with the ice cream and chocolate industry using 75% of the vanillin produced and a smaller percentage being used by the rest of the food industry.