Symrise intensifies authenticity verification efforts for vanilla

02 Oct 2017 --- 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. Symrise claim to be not only meeting the increased demand of customers for certification of authenticity, but are also complying with national regulations in individual countries.

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. 

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. 

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.  

Last month, FoodIngredientsFirst featured a report on vanilla resurgence and supply chain challenges. 

In a recent interview with The World of Food Ingredients, Heinrich Schaper, Executive Board Member & Global President Flavors, Symrise noted how the vanilla market was particularly successful for the company, as it has its operations on the ground in Madagascar and extensive farmer support programs. 

“With the ups and downs of the vanilla market, we tend to stay away from the wheeling and dealing and establish longer-term partnerships with our customers. This ensures that we have business relationship stability and appropriately manage price fluctuations, in order to create the benefits for our customers of that kind of long-term business model,” Schaper notes. You can read the full interview here.