Vanillin is one ingredient found in chocolate that leaves people scratching their heads.
What is it and why is it used in chocolate rather than simply using naturally occurring vanilla? Well the fact is that despite what many conspiracy theorists and health nuts would have you believe vanillin is a naturally occurring compound and when it is created in a laboratory setting the end result is nearly identical to natural vanillin! Vanillin sounds just like vanilla for good reason: because vanillin is used by many as a more affordable substitute for expensive natural vanilla that few can afford to incorporate in to their chocolate.
There are people would convince you that vanillin is simply an artificially produced element, a result of laboratory processes and therefore an abomination when included in consumables, but the fact is that vanillin does occur naturally! When vanillin is extracted from high quality vanilla beans it resembles the laboratory made product almost identically.
Why is there such a fuss by some foodies out there? Well these days people tend to believe that natural is better and man made is not as healthy for consumption as the naturally occurring substance and while naturally occurring products are certainly preferred when the artificially produced item apes the naturally produced item identically the point seems moot.
Why do companies create something artificially that already occurs naturally? Obtaining natural vanilla extract is extremely costly and natural vanillin is extremely scarce which means that it is simply an impractical ingredient for many items, not just chocolate.
When vanillin of equal quality and makeup to the naturally occurring vanillin can be created using commercial synthesis for a lower cost it is commonsense that for large corporations man made is winning out over naturally occurring vanillin.
Well what does vanillin do? Vanillin is what gives vanilla extract its flavor, it is also what gives vanilla extract its vanilla scent.
Naturally occurring vanillin appears as a white dust on vanilla pods which have been cured and it can hardly be seen by the naked eye.
The world's biggest producer of natural vanillin is Madagascar because of the tropical climate.
As a result of its ability to be made in just about any lab with the correct facilities artificial vanillin can be created worldwide.
The two step process used by the Rhodia company is the most popular method of creating artificial vanillin.
Artificial production of vanillin has changed over the years from when it was first discovered in the late 1800's.
The first chemical production of vanillin involved synthesis from a substance called Eugenol which is found in clove oil.
Used until the 1920's this method was soon eliminated when it was found that a bi-product from wood pulp which contained lignin could be used to produce artificial vanillin as well.
As time progressed, however, environmental concerns increased over the destruction of trees and this method of production became less and less popular.
As a result of this the use of guaiacol - a petrochemical increased in popularity as a method for creating vanillin.
The use of petrochemicals may particularly shock some people, however, what these people are not aware of is the sheer amount of ordinary products in our lives that use petrochemicals.
These products include: aspirin, clothing, furniture, electronics and much more! What are other uses for vanillin? While 75% of vanillin produced artificially is used by the chocolate and ice cream industries there is also great demand by other businesses as well.
Vanillin is used in the creation of fragrances to add hints of vanilla to perfumes, vanillin is also popular in the wine business where it is used to smooth the flavor of wines, Vanillin is also used in your local pharmacy where it is used to neutralize bad tasting medications, and additionally vanillin is used for process of chromatography as an all purpose stain.
Many will continue to argue against the use of vanillin in the production of many items including chocolate but the fact is that this useful compound creates a cost effective method of bringing vanilla flavoring to items as well as a smoothness that natural vanilla can sometimes miss when incorporated in to chocolate.
What is it and why is it used in chocolate rather than simply using naturally occurring vanilla? Well the fact is that despite what many conspiracy theorists and health nuts would have you believe vanillin is a naturally occurring compound and when it is created in a laboratory setting the end result is nearly identical to natural vanillin! Vanillin sounds just like vanilla for good reason: because vanillin is used by many as a more affordable substitute for expensive natural vanilla that few can afford to incorporate in to their chocolate.
There are people would convince you that vanillin is simply an artificially produced element, a result of laboratory processes and therefore an abomination when included in consumables, but the fact is that vanillin does occur naturally! When vanillin is extracted from high quality vanilla beans it resembles the laboratory made product almost identically.
Why is there such a fuss by some foodies out there? Well these days people tend to believe that natural is better and man made is not as healthy for consumption as the naturally occurring substance and while naturally occurring products are certainly preferred when the artificially produced item apes the naturally produced item identically the point seems moot.
Why do companies create something artificially that already occurs naturally? Obtaining natural vanilla extract is extremely costly and natural vanillin is extremely scarce which means that it is simply an impractical ingredient for many items, not just chocolate.
When vanillin of equal quality and makeup to the naturally occurring vanillin can be created using commercial synthesis for a lower cost it is commonsense that for large corporations man made is winning out over naturally occurring vanillin.
Well what does vanillin do? Vanillin is what gives vanilla extract its flavor, it is also what gives vanilla extract its vanilla scent.
Naturally occurring vanillin appears as a white dust on vanilla pods which have been cured and it can hardly be seen by the naked eye.
The world's biggest producer of natural vanillin is Madagascar because of the tropical climate.
As a result of its ability to be made in just about any lab with the correct facilities artificial vanillin can be created worldwide.
The two step process used by the Rhodia company is the most popular method of creating artificial vanillin.
Artificial production of vanillin has changed over the years from when it was first discovered in the late 1800's.
The first chemical production of vanillin involved synthesis from a substance called Eugenol which is found in clove oil.
Used until the 1920's this method was soon eliminated when it was found that a bi-product from wood pulp which contained lignin could be used to produce artificial vanillin as well.
As time progressed, however, environmental concerns increased over the destruction of trees and this method of production became less and less popular.
As a result of this the use of guaiacol - a petrochemical increased in popularity as a method for creating vanillin.
The use of petrochemicals may particularly shock some people, however, what these people are not aware of is the sheer amount of ordinary products in our lives that use petrochemicals.
These products include: aspirin, clothing, furniture, electronics and much more! What are other uses for vanillin? While 75% of vanillin produced artificially is used by the chocolate and ice cream industries there is also great demand by other businesses as well.
Vanillin is used in the creation of fragrances to add hints of vanilla to perfumes, vanillin is also popular in the wine business where it is used to smooth the flavor of wines, Vanillin is also used in your local pharmacy where it is used to neutralize bad tasting medications, and additionally vanillin is used for process of chromatography as an all purpose stain.
Many will continue to argue against the use of vanillin in the production of many items including chocolate but the fact is that this useful compound creates a cost effective method of bringing vanilla flavoring to items as well as a smoothness that natural vanilla can sometimes miss when incorporated in to chocolate.
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