Question

difference between vanilla extract and artificial vanilla

Answer 1

vanilla extract is made from the vanilla bean pod, which is part of the Vanilla planifolia plant, a variety of orchid. The pods are soaked in alcohol, which “extracts” the flavor. The brown color occurs naturally as a by-product of the essential oils in the bean. The federal guideline for alcohol content for pure vanilla extract is a minimum of 35%.

Vanilla flavor in artificial vanilla comes from vanillin, which can be natural sourced or artificially created. Vanillin is a naturally occurring chemical compound found within the vanilla bean and gives vanilla its unique taste and fragrance. When vanilla beans are made into pure vanilla extract, the vanillin compounds are released and help create vanilla’s “flavor”. But vanillin can be created without a vanilla bean in sight, and much more inexpensively. It can be synthesized from clove oil, pine sap and even from wood pulp, a by-product of the paper industry. Clear vanilla, by the way, is always an imitation or artificial vanilla product.