Vanillin is a pure ingredient, while vanilla extract is a natural product composed of more than 200 compounds and vanillin is the primary component in it.

Vanilla bean or vanilla pod is the edible fruit and the commercial part of the orchid family. There are more than 150 varieties of vanilla orchids that grow around the world, but only Vanilla planifolia and Vanilla tahitensis are used commercially. (1)

Vanilla extract can be obtained by extraction with a solvent (usually ethanol) from the vanilla pod. Its unique aroma and flavor cannot be replaced by the artificial one.

Vanillin market
The current global annual demand for vanillin is about 20,000 MT. Due to the development of the food industry, its demand may still increase.

Its rough distribution of applications as follows: 60% as a food additive, 30% in the production of flavors & fragrances and cosmetics, 5% used in pharmaceuticals, and the rest as a feed additive.

Low output of natural vanillin
The production areas of vanilla beans in the world are mainly concentrated in Madagascar, Indonesia, and Comoros. The annual output is around 2000 MT/Year.

Due to the limited planting area of vanilla, the labor-intensive work of cultivation, artificial pollination, harvesting, extraction and purification, plus the climate and other factors, making it difficult to increase the production.

Vanillin is present in the form of free molecule or combined with glucoside in vanilla pod. The content is about 1%–2% w/w in cured vanilla pods (2). That’s to say, only around 20-40 MT/Year natural vanillin is available. This number accounts for only about 0.1-2% of its total production in the world.

The price of natural vanillin is extremely expensive, and it can be 300 times higher than the price of synthetic one. That’s why its replacement – the chemical synthesized and biosynthesized vanillin come to the market.