Vanilla authenticity analysis
Phytocontrol extends its analytical offer and proposes to accompany you in the control of the naturalness and authenticity of vanilla and its constituents by modern and reliable methods.
Food industry professionals are increasingly exposed to risks related to fraud and adulteration in foodstuffs. Today, consumers want to be informed about the origin of their products, their traceability and authenticity, which are guarantees of product quality.
Vanilla, a highly valued spice and subject to fraud
Vanilla is one of the most widely consumed spices in the world. As an aromatic plant, the composition of the vanilla bean sold in shops is very rich in flavour, and in particular in vanillin. It is very easy to synthesise vanillin, which is then known as synthetic vanillin.
This synthetic vanillin can replace natural vanillin, so that the finished product cannot be labelled as "natural vanilla flavour". The unauthorised use of synthetic vanillin is called adulteration and is considered fraud. It is therefore essential to ensure regular controls on raw materials, but also on commercial products.
The DGCCRF investigation
The DGCCRF (French department for competition, consumption and Fraud prevention) carried out an investigation in 2019 to check the composition and labelling of vanilla products (beans, extracts, flavourings) and flavoured foodstuffs and to look for possible fraud or misleading commercial practices. Out of 113 samples, 23% were found to be non-compliant (replacement of vanilla products by inferior products, intensification of the taste, smell and appearance of vanilla by soaking the beans in a vanilla flavouring, reproduction of the vanilla flavour by adding vanillin from biotechnology in a significant proportion compared to the vanillin from the vanilla beans).
The Phytocontrol solution
Controls can be carried out using different technologies :
- Determination of the carbon 13C isotope ratio of vanillin provides information on adulteration.
- The analysis of vanilla constituents indicates whether all the compounds naturally present in vanilla have been identified and quantified at the expected values.
Phytocontrol can help you check the authenticity of your vanilla and to control the absence of adulteration thanks to the determination of isotopic ratios and the analysis of the various vanilla compounds.
Do you need technical, regulatory and pricing information? Our customer service is available from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday.
And if you don't want to miss any Phytocontrol news, join us on our LinkedIn and Facebook pages!
