Vanilla is one of the most common flavours for sweet treats around the world. But is the farming of this much-loved spice sustainable? And, if not, should we be consuming it at all?
Scientists have identified the key chemicals found in vanilla bean extract and combined this with sensory data to understand what consumers want from vanilla flavours.
Israeli start-up Vanilla Vida is leveraging smart farming to overcome the ‘biggest pain point’ for flavour houses in the natural vanilla market: an unstable supply chain.
Scientists have devised a novel way of tackling the mounting issue of plastic pollution… by using bacteria to transform plastic waste into vanilla flavouring.
Synergy Flavors, Inc., a supplier of flavors, extracts and essences for the global food and beverage industry, has announced the completion of a new primary school in Antanapizina, Madagascar.
Researchers in Denmark have developed a food fraud detection method for vanilla and black pepper, both of which can be adulterated for ‘high economic gain’, DTU’s Amelia Sina Wilde tells FoodNavigator.
A new partnership with Symrise will see Kellogg use 100% responsibly sourced vanilla by the end of the year. FoodNavigator speaks to the German flavours and fragrances firm to find out more.
Having tripled its production capacity of natural vanillin in 2017, the French ingredients supplier is again ramping up scale to meet growing demand for its ‘natural’ vanilla alternative, Solvay’s Peter Browning tells FoodNavigator.
The flavour industry needs to spread its net wide to ensure a steady supply of the world's favourite flavour, from new vanilla pod growing countries to alternative vanillin sources, says the president of the European Flavour Association (EFFA).
By diversifying its vanilla sourcing to Uganda, Indonesia and India as well as developing alternative natural flavours, flavour giant Firmenich says it is weathering the impact of Madagascan cyclone Enawo.
Introducing more cocoa farming to Madagascar is key for a sustainable vanilla market, say Barry Callebaut and Prova on the launch of their new partnership.
Rossi Ice Cream is trialing a Black Vanilla Ice Cream that tastes like vanilla, but is black in color, and changes the color of your tongue, this weekend.
It’s the world’s most popular food flavour but less than 1% of global demand for vanilla can be met by the natural vanilla orchid – and this year’s supplies have been hit by a poor harvest in top producing country Madagascar, sending prices skyrocketing....
Synthetic biology will become a “permanent and growing aspect of the flavors & fragrances landscape” predicts a new report from Lux Research, which says the approach is more sustainable than traditional techniques such as synthesizing flavors from...
Symrise has opened a new €3m ($3.83m) vanilla extraction facility in Benavony, Madagascar - the latest milestone in its strategy to “establish the entire value chain for vanilla in its source country”.
A German appeal court has ruled that Ritter Sport’s vanilla flavor in its whole hazelnut product is correctly labelled after consumer group Stiftung Warentest challenged it.
UK flavor house Maverick Innovations will set up a US manufacturing hub in the next five years; bolstering its presence with British flavors like banana and custard, its CEO says.
Ritter Sport has been granted an injunction preventing a German consumer group from claiming the chocolate firm is deceiving consumers with misleading natural flavor claims.
Europeans tend to be quite conservative when it comes to flavour, but there are ways to create innovative tastes even around well-established popular flavours, says Euromonitor ingredients analyst Lauren Bandy.
Global flavour and fragrance company Firmenich has started commercialisation of vanilla from Rainforest Alliance certified farms in Madagascar, the firm says.
International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) and Switzerland-based Evolva Holding have said they have entered a pre-production phase for a natural vanillin flavour produced through fermentation.
Rhodia Aroma Performance has introduced a range of intense vanilla flavors that it claims allows manufacturers to differentiate products and mask off-notes.
Steep hikes in world prices for black vanilla could mean higher production costs for premium ice cream makers, according to commodity analyst Mintec, which is advising ice cream producers to book their contracts for the spice now.
Sensient Flavors has launched new ice cream concepts that allow manufacturers to offer products that fit with seasonal consumer preferences, using fruit preparations with a 'fresh and healthy' appeal and added cookie, meringue and coffee bits.
Chocolate processors can boost their clean label and meet good for you indulgence trends with a new fresh fruit based ingredient range that is free from artificial additives, allergens and sugar and has a long shelf life, claims the Dutch supplier.
The political unrest in Madagascar, the world’s leading producer of vanilla, has highlighted the need for ingredients companies to diversify supply and eyes have turned to India as an alternative source.
Ingredients group Givaudan says it is making use of in-depth
knowledge on consumer preferences to drive innovation in the field
of vanilla ingredient supply and taste profiles.
French supplier Euringus has developed three organic, clean-label
Bourbon Madagascar vanilla extracts that retain the volatile
flavours and vary in strength.
Symrise, a manufacturing company of flavours and fragrances, seeks
to strengthen its farm-to-fork approach in vanilla production and
improve its international standing in the fragrance and flavouring
market through its integration...
Frutarom USA has introduced an alcohol-free concentrated vanilla
extract, which the firm claims is ideal for use in Halal goods and
heat-intense applications.
Encapsulating vanillin in beta-cyclodextrin could improve the water
solubility of the compound, as well as offering protection against
oxidative degradation, suggests research from Greece.
Food makers turn to wood-sourced vanillin as high oil prices
continue to put pressure on the price of petrochemical-based
vanilla alternatives, and natural vanilla stocks remain
vulnerable,writes Lindsey Partos.
Diversifying supplies and managing risk for the world's most
expensive, and popular, natural flavour, for the first time
ingredients giant Danisco receives a batch of sustainable organic
vanilla from an Indian monk, reports Lindsey...
Ice-cream manufacturers gearing up for the season should take note
as Haagen-Dazs and Unilever announce in the same week the
introduction of low-fat offerings for this summer, writes
Philippa Nuttall.
Spice company McCormick said yesterday that its Q1 profits and
sales were lower than expected, pushed down by struggling vanilla
prices, but remained confident for the rest of the year, writes
Philippa Nuttall.
Nearly half of the world's vanillin supplies are sourced from China
but since tighter production rules arrived there a few years ago
there are now only two major Chinese producers left in the country,
reports Lindsey Partos....
British flavours firm Synergy Flavours is bringing a new organic
vanilla extract to market, locking in suppliers from Madagascar to
help guarantee the source of a product rooted in a vulnerable
global crop.
The key ingredient in the most popular ice cream in the world faces
a rise in price, already at a 10 year high, as the worst cyclone in
two decades hits Madagascar, the leading producer of vanilla.
Proof that soaring price rises are not only branded in the hard
pushed natural vanilla market with the news this week that
Norwegian ingredients company Borregaard Synthesis has hiked up the
price for its line of synthetic vanillin...
When Cyclone Hudah struck the island of Madagascar in April 2000
destroying 15 per cent of the world's vanilla crop the news sent
prices rocketing for the peoples favourite ice cream ingredient -
and they still haven't recovered.
The volatile vanilla market has seen food manufacturers turning to
synthetic substitutes as prices per kilo soar from double to treble
figures in recent years. Danish ingredients giant Danisco - a
leading extractor of vanilla in the...
Vanilla, recognised as the world's most popular flavour, has had a
rough ride in recent years with the price rising steeply as a
result of tropical storms and a highly contested presidential
election in Madagascar, the country...
