Vanilla is the best-known and most popular flavor in the world and the second most expensive spice after saffron. The prices for real vanilla are currently at an all-time high. Customers pay 550 to 600 US dollars for one kilogram of black vanilla beans. That makes the spice even more valuable than silver.
Vanilla extracts and isolated vanillin are also used as important flavor components in addition to the pods of the vanilla orchid themselves. Therefore, comprehensive quality controls are needed for products made from this plant. By employing these controls Symrise not only meets the increasing demand of customers for certification of authenticity but moreover it complies with national regulations in individual countries.
Depending on the product and its position in the supply and value chain, different methods are used for quality control and to provide proof of authenticity. If plant material is being examined, for example, this can be done by DNA analysis. On the other hand, commercially used vanillin can be differentiated in terms of its origin and production method using isotope ratio mass spectrometry and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Complying With Customer Needs
Symrise has been using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) already for many years to verify authenticity. Recently an extended IRMS-method was established to further enhance the process of differentiating quality levels of vanillin. Details on the complete approach have been published by Symrise in the Flavour and Fragrance Journal: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ffj.3379/full
After integration of all available spectroscopic data using a statistical approach the results enable a significantly improved differentiation of the vanillin based on critical provenances. This allows vanillin that was produced naturally from eugenol to be differentiated from synthetic vanillin derived from lignin or curcumin, for example. This approach highly improves the quality and authenticity verification for vanilla products and sets new standards, through which the needs of Symrise customers can be met in this discerning market segment both now and in the future.
Symrise is focusing on sustainability with its vanilla production in Madagascar. The company works with roughly 7,000 small-scale farmers in the fertile SAVA region, sourcing the spice directly from these farmers. The result is a sustainable and fully integrated supply chain. Beyond that, the fragrance and flavoring manufacturer helps the farmers improve their cultivation methods and thereby also improve their living conditions.
About Symrise
Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances, flavorings, cosmetic active ingredients and raw materials, as well as functional ingredients. Its clients include manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, food and beverages, the pharmaceutical industry and producers of nutritional supplements and pet food.
Its sales of more than € 2.9 billion in the 2016 fiscal year make Symrise a leading global provider in the flavors and fragrances market. Headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, the Group is represented by more than 90 locations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the United States and Latin America.
Symrise works with its clients to develop new ideas and market-ready concepts for products that form an indispensable part of everyday life. Economic success and corporate responsibility are inextricably linked as part of this process. Symrise – always inspiring more…
Media Contacts:
Bernhard Kott
Phone.: +49 5531 90-1721
E-mail: bernhard.kott@symrise.com
Christina Witter
Phone.: +49 (0)5531 90-2182
E-mail: christina.witter@symrise.com