Vanilla

Presentation of a not very ordinary plant

Names

Étymologiquement, the name vanilla drift of the Spanish vainilla itself resulting from the Latin vagina which also gave Vagin and means sheath , pod or case . In the majority of the languages, one indicates vanilla by names phonetically very similar: vanilla in English, wanilia in Polish, vanilje in Swedish.

Botanical description

Flexible and little ramified, the liana of vanilla, also called vanilla plant , develops by growth of the final Bourgeon and forms long growths which can spring with the attack of their support on more than ten Mètre S. If the Tige is broken, the pieces Bouture NT very easily, which allows the multiplication of the plant, in nature as in culture.

The Feuille S are laid out in a way alternate on each side of the stem. They are plane, whole, oval with the pointed end, approximately three times longer than broad and can measure until about fifteen centimetres. The stem and the sheets are green, fleshy, mouthfuls of a transparent juice and irritant causing on the Peau persistent Brûlure S and itchings. With the node of insertion of the sheets often root S appear air which make it possible vanilla to cling to its support or if necessary to a Bouture of enraciner.

The flowers, grouped by eight or ten, form small bouquets with the armpit of the sheets. Of color white, greenish or yellow pale, they have the traditional structure of a flower of Orchidée in spite of a rather regular appearance.

The Fécondation requires the intervention of a specialized auxiliary: it is carried out naturally in the area of origin of vanilla by Insecte S of the kind Melipona , kinds of social bees without pivot. After fecundation, the ovary which acted as Pédoncule at the base of the flower transforms into a long hanging pod from 12 to 25 centimetres. The fresh and still odorless pods have a diameter from 7 to 10 millimetres. They contain tiny thousands of Graine S which would be released by bursting of the fruits with maturity if one did not take care to collect those still green.

Distribution

Vanilla is originating in the wet tropical forests of the east coast of Mexico where she lives in underwood. Certain authors also regard it as naturally presents in Florida and on the northern coast of the South America.

But vanilla is especially known like plants with cultivated spice. It is the history of this spice which contributed to diffuse the culture of the plant in the majority of the wet tropical areas of the world.

History of a spice to the conquest of the world

The tlilxochitl of the Aztec ones

The Aztèque S know and appreciate already vanilla that they call Tlilxochitl (what means black pod ). They use it in particular to scent a drink of Cacao.

Vanilla makes its appearance with the court of Spain at the beginning of the 16th century, but its International business becomes extensive only as from the next century.

The Mexican monopoly

During more than two centuries, at 18th and 18th centuries, the Mexico, in particular the area of Veracruz, the monopoly of vanilla preserves. The Totonaques remain the first world producers until the middle of the 19th century.

All the attempts to cause production of this orchis out of its natural surface of origin show failures. One is unaware of indeed until the 19th century that the bees mélipones play a fertilizing part essential to the formation of the fruit.

Vanilla causes a true passion in Europe. She is appreciated in particular more and more at the court of France. Under the charm, Louis XIV decides to seriously try to introduce the liana with the island Bourbon. The various attempts carried out under its reign fail.

The radiation of the island Bourbon

The first artificial pollination of the vanilla plant is carried out in 1836 with the Botanical garden of Liege by the Belgian Naturaliste Charles Morren, then in 1837 by the Horticulteur French Joseph Henri François Neumann.

It is however only in 1841 that a young slave bourbonnais twelve years, Edmond, creates the process still practices used nowadays. This method of Pollination, of which Jean-Michel-Claude Richard tries to adapt paternity, fact of the island Bourbon (today the Réunion) the first center vanilla plant of planet a few decades only after the introduction of the orchis on the spot in 1819. To the Abolition of slavery in 1848, one gives to the Edmond young person the patronym of Albius, in reference to the “white” color ( alba ) of the flower of vanilla.

Vanilla also was cultivated a long time in the Guadeloupe and Martinique; but with the centring of agriculture on the cane and banana, it practically disappeared - as many other formerly flourishing species - to be replaced by imports…

Malagasy rise

They are the growers Réunion are born who introduce towards 1880 with Madagascar the culture of vanilla. The first plantations are made on the island of Nosy Be. From there, they get a then foothold in the Eastern areas of the large island, those of Antalaha and Sambava to the favorable wet climate. The passion is fast and the Malagasy production exceeds the 1.000 tons in 1929, that is to say more than ten times that of the Meeting. But the market lacking regulation, vanilla undergoes crises of overproduction recurringly.

In spite of the competition of other tropical countries like the Indonesia and the emergence of dynamic news of conquest of the market as in the State of the Kerala in India, Madagascar preserves always today largely its row of first world exporter.

Modes of culture and development of spice

Plantations

To grow vanilla need for a hot and wet climate has, of a support of fixing and a certain shade. Three techniques of plantation are mainly implemented, of most extensive with most intensive:

in underwood, by using the trunks of the trees like supports.
in intercalated culture, for example between the sugar canes.
under ombrière.

The farmers ensure the propagation by cutting, control or assist the good fixing and take care in particular to fold up the liana in such way that the future pods can be with breast height.

Fecundation

Fecundation must always be manually assured flower by flower. The process used is always the same one as that discovered by Edmond Albius. It early is practiced each morning (because the flowers have a short life of a few hours at the beginning of day) and in dry weather (because the rain opposes the formation of the fruit).
La flower is held delicately with a hand, a finger being used as fulcrum under the column (the central part of the flower). With a pointed instrument but not edge, a spine for example, one tears the cap which protects the male sexual organs. With this same instrument, one then rectifies the strip (the rostellum) which separates the bodies females from the male part and one brings closer with the fingers the cheesecloth carrying the Pollen towards the mark thus released by exerting a small pressure to ensure a good contact.

Preparation

The perfectly odorless fruit transformation into a marrowy and agreeably scented spice requires a meticulous and methodical preparation whose principles were developed in Mexico of long time. The method simplest, known as direct preparation , consists in letting mature the pod by alternating the exposures to the shade and the sun, but the results are poor. One thus prefers the indirect preparation to him starting with a brutal shock which " keep silent " the pod, follow-up of a series of operations of transformation, of drying and sorting which last nearly ten months before leading to the end product of the vanilla commercialisable.
stick To kill the pod, one can practice a passage to the furnace, cold, with the rays Infrarouge S with the alcohol, etc But the means most usually employed today is a warm water bath. Thus the process worked out in begins 1851 by Réunionnais Ernest Loupy starting from Mexican knowledge and largely popularized by David from Flowered. The stages are the following ones:

scalding : baskets of wicker filled up green vanilla pods (up to 30 kg per basket) are plunged during three minutes in a water carried with 63°C;
stoving : the pods are placed at once between covers of Laine in large cases during twelve to fourteen hours; thus maintained with the heat, they lose their water, evolve/move enzymatiquement and acquire their beautiful color of a chocolate black;
drying : during two to six weeks, according to its level of potential quality, vanilla is dried a few hours per day initially with the furnace on trays, then with the sun, and finally in the shade for best quality;
put out of trunks : refining is done for eight month in the long secrecy of trunks out of wooden equipped with Papier sulphurized; it is during this period that the Arôme develops; the trunks are regularly visited to withdraw possible mildewed pods which would contaminate the others;
calibration : the pods are sorted according to their length, longest are most prestigious;
conditioning : traditionally the of the same pods length are bundled, if not they are bagged.

Aromatic profile

Natural vanilla develops a formed complex perfume of several hundreds of different aromatic compounds. Among those, it is however the Molécule of Vanilline (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldéhyde) which forms and characterizes in a dominant way the flavor of vanilla.

Commercial products

Commercial name vanilla applies to the prepared pods length at least equal to 15 centimetres. The most beautiful fruits, known as domestic vanilla are intended for the retail sale; they should be neither split, neither ragués (without scars), nor dry. A pod of quality must be able to be rolled up around the finger without damaging itself.

The most exceptional quality is formed by the frosted vanilla : vanillin crystallized on the surface in light snow-covered efflorescences. It is vanilla most intensely and most delicately scented.

Less qualities are intended for the wholesale, for the industrial food market, or are used for the preparation of the vanilla extract or the vanilla powder. The vanilla extract is obtained by Macération pods in the alcohol, the powder by crushing.

World production and consumption

Producing areas

The culture of vanilla was spread in various wet tropical areas of the world. Two countries, Madagascar and the Indonesia, ensure the essence of the world provisioning however. Whereas during the years 1990, the indonésienne production had passed at the head, Madagascar recovered its dominant position today.

With Madagascar, in 2004, vanilla made live 80.000 growers. It is especially cultivated in the area of Sava, in the North-East of the island where one finds 24.000 of the 29.500 hectares planted in the island. One counts the other plantations for 1.500 ha around Diego Suarez and for 3.800 ha in the area of Toamasina, the port by which exports of spice are carried out. Other countries, of long tradition vanillière, continue to feed in a more modest way the worldwide market: the Mexico, the the Comoros and to a lesser extent, on top-of-the-range crenels, the Meeting and Tahiti. On the other hand, the Seychelles or the island Maurice do not produce any more vanilla.

The productions of the south-west of the Indian Ocean can claim with the name Vanille Bourbon, which they are originating in Madagascar, of the the Comoros or the island of the Meeting. In this area of the world, the mode of the Alizé S imposes a culture on the Eastern coasts, which are wettest.

With the Meeting, the production is concentrated along the Holy-Suzanne coast with the wind between and Arm-Panon. In the Comorian archipelago, it is it with Anjouan and Mayotte. The culture of vanilla is at the origin of the establishment of Guerlain in these islands. It is one of the only resources of those of the Union of the Comoros with the Clove, another spice from which one can possibly manufacture Vanilline.

New countries launched out or started again in the production of vanilla, the such Uganda, the State of the Kerala in India, the New Guinea-News-Guinea, the islands Tonga, etc Seeking the diversification of the agricultural incomes and a good profit, they are nevertheless confronted with uncertainties of a very fluctuating market for a product which requires moreover one precise and rigorous follow-up throughout the die to lead to a spice of quality.

The China also produces vanilla in the province of the Yunnan.

Figures of the production

The relatively restricted Marché of the vanilla, which aims at satisfying a request attached to the natural authenticity, is subjected to the climatic risks and the financial Spéculation. The Cyclone S which frequently touch the Eastern coast of Madagascar can indeed destroy a big part of the vanilleraies or annual harvest. But prepared vanilla being able to be preserved several years, the producer groups or the traders, if they have the means of them, can also constitute Stock S of waiting, to deaden the price changes or on the contrary to benefit from these variations.

Generally, the great groups Agro-alimentary S or of the international traders treat directly and confidentially with the local collectors. In a context of opacity, where the advertisement even of the forecasts of production is used to influence the price level, it is thus difficult to know with insurance the figures.

According to the sources, the data can thus appear contradictory. The evaluations of FAO give only one incomplete vision (it there misses in particular the India and the New Guinea-News-Guinea) and synopsis (many figures are considered or extrapolated). These evaluations, because they must normally be expressed in rough agricultural production (green vanilla being able to be 5 times heavier than prepared vanilla) do not facilitate moreover not the comparisons, but they make it possible to assess the evolutionary trends of the shares of the various producer countries.

Generally, the professionals agree to consider that the annual worldwide production of prepared vanilla currently borders in fact the 2000 tons.

Compete with industrial flavors

In 1874, Dr. Willhelm Haarmann, German Chemist , carries out the first artificial synthesis of the Vanilline starting from coniférine extracted the resin of spruce. But of other substances with aromatic nucleus can also be used as a basis for a synthesis of vanillin. It is by employing the Eugénol, extracted the cloves that develops the production and the trade of the vanillin of synthesis.

The vanillin of synthesis then takes little by little an increasingly important place in the food as in the industry of all the scented products. Thanks to its low costs of production, it makes it possible to universally popularize the flavor of vanilla, but by imposing at the same time on natural vanilla a competition without mercy. One currently estimates the worldwide production of industrial vanillin at approximately: 12000 with: 15000 tons per annum, whereas all the natural vanillin which could be extracted the world commercial production of vanilla represents less than 50 tons per annum.

Other industrial processes of manufacture of vanillin moreover made it possible to benefit from less and less expensive raw materials: petrochemical synthesis, synthesis starting from the Lignin of the residues of paper mill, oxidation of the curcumin extracted the Curcuma or biotechnological preparation by Fermentation controlled residues of pulp of Betterave of the Sucre laugh.

Because the molecule is chemically the same one as that presents in nature, industrially produced vanillin is described as nature-identical flavor . Pursuant to the European regulation, vanillin can be announced like food ingredient by the simple mention of flavor , whereas in American right it is necessary to speak about artificial flavor ( artificial flavoring ). In all the cases, on the other hand, the name of natural flavor is reserved for the use of vanilla or vanilla extract. The manufacturers of food products however évertuent themselves to suggest the vanilla idea, even when there is no natural trace of it, either by formulas without legal authenticity of the type savor vanilla or taste vanilla , or by whimsical illustrations of vanilla flowers generally resembling Jonquille S.

According to a natural vanilla trader, the industrialists will return to the naturalness because the taste is better and “vanilla became a product today a little snob, a little sore , a little mode. The upper middle classes is interested in it. It is the return to the naturalness. In France, the RTT encouraged the housewives to recover to cook, to be interested so that they buy. Moreover, the vanilla pod is expensive: the consumer thinks thus that the producer is well remunerated. Without speaking about the cosmetic die which works on new formulas containing vanilla.”

The crisis of the Years 2000

In the year 2000, when Madagascar (40% of the worldwide production in 1994.
Some examples of perfumes with vanilla notes:

Must of Cartier.
Shalimar of Guerlain.
Coconut of Chanel
Infatuation of Marcel Rochas.
Vanilla Field of Coty.
Jean-Paul Gaultier of Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Medicinal properties

Known as stimulant of the nervous system, it was used in the form of essential Huile, of dyeing, or infusion against hysteria, the depression or the melancholy. It was also recommended to support the muscular efforts or against rheumatisms.

Literature

David of Flowered, various Notes on the culture of the vanilla plant, the fecundation of the flowers and preparation of vanilla , Central committee of exposure, Cayenne, 1874 (consultable work on Gallica)
Raoul Lucas, the Meeting island of vanilla , Ocean editions, 1990 - ISBN 2907064053.
Nicolas Herdsman, an orchis which one called vanilla , Editions Metropolis, 1998 - ISBN 2883400601.
Patrick Beauchet, vanilla, 10 ways of preparing it , Epure, 2002 - ISBN 2914480083.
Tim Ecott, Vanilla - Travels in Search off the Luscious Substance , Penguin Books London, 2004 - ISBN 0802117759.
Annemarie Wildeisen, Vanilla, Gewürz der Göttin , AT Verlag, 2001 - ISBN 385502751X.

External bonds

All on the vanilla pod: conservation, quality, receipts, quizz…
Memory on the purification and characterization of the vanilla β-glucosidase
French regulation
Étude on vanilla
you knew It?
, FruiTrop January 2003 - n°98 - page 7
, FruiTrop February 2001 - n°77 - page 13

Guided visits

Co-operative of vanilla of Arm-Panon (Meeting)
Field of Vanibel with Old man-Inhabitants (Guadeloupe)
international Museum of the Fatty perfumery of (the Alpes-Maritimes)

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