The Flavour of Vanilla;

1
The Flavour of Vanilla

• Satisfying Demand Through Bioconversion

M. Douglas Baumann
2
Vanilla Plain but Pricey

• A ubiquitous flavour in N. American and European
  (esp. French) food and drink
• Also added to make-up, perfume, pharmaceuticals
  and tobacco

But vanilla is the worlds 2nd most expensive
spice!
3
Worldwide Demand for Vanilla

• Total demand for vanilla extract is 2000
  tonnes/a.
• Only 50 t/a. is natural vanilla
• Remaining demand is met by synthetic and pure
  vanillin

4
The Original Natural Vanilla

• Vanilla pods are harvested from Vanilla
  plantifolia, an orchid
• The orchid grows as a vine, taking 3a. to reach
  maturity
• Most labour intensive commercial crop in the
  world
• 1,800 USD/kg

5
Synthetic Vanilla (Vanillin)

• The single most important component of natural
  vanilla is vanillin

• Produced synthetically at large scale for
  12 USD/kg from petroleum sources
• Must be labeled as artificial or synthetic vanilla

6
Pure Vanilla (Vanillin)

• Any vanillin that is obtained from natural,
  biological sources
• Pure vanilla is not natural vanilla it lacks the
  200 other compounds found vanilla extract
• Highly valued by companies in N. America and
  Europe because pure vanilla is considered a
  natural, organic product
• Priced at 700 USD/kg

7
Vanillin Through Bioconversion

• Common feedstock is lignin, a polymer that
  comprises 20-30 of woody plants by weight
• Rice and sugar beet pulps are cheap sources of
  lignin that are readily degraded by enzymes

Lignin (polymer)
Lignin (oligomer)
(enzyme)
(enzyme)
(fungi)
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requires Enzymes

• Lignin depolymerase (Trametes cingulata) or
  Lignin peroxidase (Phaneracheate chrysporium)
  produce oligomers
• Enzymes liberate ferulic acid from lignin
  oligomers
• Ferulic acid esterase is isolated from
  Aspergillus niger

A Trametes sp.
Deligninified cellulose
9
and Fungi!

• Ferulic acid is the most common feedstock in
  commercial processes (e.g. Rhodia Chimie)
• Final step is a whole cell bioconversion (e.g.
  Pycnoporus cinnabarinus)
• Vanillin is recovered as an extra-cellular
  product (1g/L)

10
Final Packaging

• Crystalline vanillin is the final product
• Reconstituted in a 35 ethanol/water solution.
• Equivalent concentration of steeped vanilla beans
  is 100g/L, or less than 1vol vanillin!