Vanillin - benefits and harm to the body, calorie content and contraindications. Vanilla and all sorts of nasty things

When you mention what vanillin is, an associative series arises: fresh delicious baked goods, a hospitable home and high-quality perfume. What is it really? The fruits of vines with delicate white-yellow flowers are what vanillin is made from. The substance is obtained as a result of fermentation of fruits. At the end of the process, crystalline vanillin appears on the surface of the pods in the form of a white coating.

The need to use exclusively manual labor at every stage of production makes the spice quite expensive. Therefore, an artificial substitute known as lignin was obtained. The label will tell you what is included in vanillin purchased in a store. If lignin is mentioned there, it means there is a flavoring inside that is identical to the natural product, that is, vanillin. This is the form in which the spice is most often produced. Lignin can be obtained from almost any organic compound. It is usually obtained as a by-product in the wood processing industry.

The formula of vanillin is C 8 H 8 O 3, which corresponds to the composition of the pure substance. Vanillin in pods is a natural product, the aroma of which is formed due to the admixture of about 400 different components. Vanillin has a calorie content of 288 kcal.

The low energy value is due to the fact that 100 spices contain:

  • fat – 0.1 g;
  • carbohydrates – 12.65 g;
  • proteins – 0.1 g.

It is practically impossible to distinguish a substitute for natural vanillin from real fruits solely by smell. But when buying a spice in industrially packaged packs, you can say with almost 100% certainty that there is a synthetic analogue inside: its mass production makes it possible to satisfy huge demand. If you want to work with a natural product, you should buy.

Spice secrets

The properties of vanillin are such that using it in large quantities with a small volume of raw materials imparts bitterness to the finished product. On average, about 1 g of spice is taken per 1 kg of total mass.

Substitute for regular vanilla, vanilla fruits or vanilla essence. Vanilla sugar should be taken 7-10 times more than pure substance. This occurs by reducing the concentration of pure spice when mixed with powdered sugar. For one dose specified in the recipe, 1 pod is usually enough. The fruit is cut lengthwise, the seeds are removed from it with a knife, and the skin is finely chopped. The grains and pieces of the pod are placed in a dish. take no more than 3-5 drops per 1 kg of product.

Too much spice will also negatively affect the flavor of the dish. To achieve the desired bouquet, it is enough to take just a little powder. The spice combines harmoniously with cloves and cinnamon. You need to be very careful with other spices: they can simply suppress the vanilla notes.

Crystalline vanillin flavoring is resistant to high temperatures. It is actively used in the production of ice cream, in the bakery business, in the manufacture of desserts, and so on.

The spice in powder form is a mixture of lignin and other additives. It dissolves easily in water. If you dilute the powder in a ratio of 1:20, it will be easier to mix the spice into the dough. In this form, the spice is used in the production of drinks and chocolate.

The food additive is added to the dough before heat treatment, and into drinks, soufflés, puddings, and meat dishes after, but before the dish has cooled.

Benefits and contraindications

Vanillin: the benefits and harms of the spice are limited. It has a calming effect and is therefore very good for insomnia. The spice gives a feeling of comfort and self-confidence in the surrounding reality. The spice is good to combine with therapy aimed at removing a person from a stressful state, in the treatment of neuroses. It promotes relaxation, including smooth muscles, which can be used for menstrual irregularities and pain.

The spice is usually used to improve mood and create a positive attitude. The spice is a recognized aphrodisiac. It increases sexual attractiveness and helps create the necessary mood.

Traditionally used in cooking, vanillin is recommended by folk healers as a remedy for respiratory diseases. If the powder is rubbed into the gums, then after a while the cough will go away, and if it gets into the nasal passage, then a runny nose.

Pharmacists have long realized that a substance such as vanillin successfully masks not only unpleasant odors, but also dubious tastes. Therefore, the spice is successfully used in a number of drugs specifically to make them easier to take, especially for young patients.

Vanillin is harmful if you are hypersensitive: like any natural product, it can cause an allergic reaction, which will manifest itself in the form of irritation, pigmented rashes, and other things.

Spice and breastfeeding

You should check with your physician about whether the spice can be consumed while breastfeeding. This substance can be found in almost all types of baked goods: from buns to crackers and crackers. The question of whether vanillin can be used during breastfeeding should be decided based on the following:

  • the substance has a calming effect, that is, it can be useful for both a capricious baby and his tired mother;
  • if a child is prone to allergies, the introduction of this spice into the diet (especially its natural version, that is, the vanilla pod itself) should be strictly monitored for reactions from the child’s body;
  • There is no reliable data that vanillin as a synthetic product can harm the human body. However, there is also evidence of its absolute safety;
  • Breastfeeding means that no matter what the product is potentially dangerous for the baby, vanillin is initially added in minimal doses (only 1 g of the substance per 1 kg of the finished product), and not everything that the mother consumed ends up in the milk, since part of the food taken is digested and is excreted by the body. Still, it is better not to overuse the spice, and if you use it, you need to monitor the child’s reaction, to see if anything has changed in his behavior or mood.

We can say that vanillin is a universal spice, that it is a magical remedy that makes any dish more appetizing. Perhaps the secret lies in its relaxing effect, or perhaps in the fact that this smell is associated with a cozy and reliable home.

Vanillin is a spice with a pleasant, sweet smell that is extracted from the vanilla fruit. It is a colorless powder consisting of small crystals. Vanillin is used for the production of baked goods and confectionery products, as well as for the creation of perfume compositions.


Natural vanillin is extracted from vanilla pods

Appearance

Vanillin is extracted from a plant called Vanilla planifolia. This flower belongs to the orchid family. Vanilla is an evergreen, climbing plant. As it grows, it wraps around tree trunks. Its leaves are large, ovate, pointed at the end. The inflorescences are of a very unusual shape - they vaguely resemble an outstretched hand. The flowers are about 6 cm in size and are usually yellow or green. The seeds ripen in long pods, from which the spice is subsequently extracted.

Vanilla pods are collected while still green and then undergo a complex drying process.

Only manual labor is used in the production process of drying vanilla and extracting natural vanillin.

Crystals of natural vanillin are formed on the pods during the drying process in very small quantities

Where does it grow

Vanilla is native to the West Indies, a group of islands located in the Caribbean Sea. At the beginning of the 19th century, this plant was discovered by the Englishman Henry Charles Andrews, and over the next 200 years, vanilla spread to greenhouses around the world. Currently, the largest quantities of vanilla bean are grown in the southern states of the United States, Central America and northern South America, as they have the most suitable climate for this flower.


Vanilla plantations are mainly located in Madagascar and Reunion

Method of making spices

Vanillin is extracted from vanilla seeds, which ripen in pods. First, the seeds are treated with boiling water, then a long process begins, during which the seeds are alternately heated in the sun and steamed in plastic containers. This process takes about two weeks, after which the seeds darken and turn dark brown. Then, the seeds are dried and simply kept for several months so that the smell intensifies.

The following types of vanilla are cultivated today for the production of vanillin:

  • Vanilla is fragrant. Grows in Mexico, Indonesia, the Caribbean and Madagascar. It is distinguished by large inflorescences. It has a rich, “warm” aroma.
  • Antillean vanilla. It grows in Central America, at an altitude of 0.5 km above sea level. Most often used as an extract.
  • Tahitian vanilla. The place of cultivation of this plant, which is the result of crossing the two species described above, is French Polynesia. This species is grown not only for the production of vanillin, but also for decorative purposes.

This is how natural vanillin is produced, but most of the spices sold in stores are artificially produced vanillin. It is made from various raw materials through synthesis.

Madagascar vanilla or bourbon vanilla is the highest quality

Tahitian vanilla is inferior in taste and organoleptic properties

Production of synthetic vanillin

Most of the spices sold in stores are artificially produced vanillin. It is made from various raw materials through synthesis. The possibility of synthesizing vanillin was discovered at the end of the 19th century in Germany by Wilhelm Haarmann and Ferdinand Thiemann. The production of synthetic vanillin was the first step towards the creation of artificial flavors. Currently, artificial vanillin can be obtained from a variety of substances, including eugenol, lignin and petrochemical raw materials.


Synthetic vanillin - artificial flavor

Flavor identical to natural

Vanillin, obtained by synthesis, belongs to the group of flavorings identical to natural ones. This means that it has the same chemical structure as natural vanillin and can be used as a food product. Natural-identical flavoring, as opposed to artificial flavoring, is found in materials of animal and plant origin.

Difference in smell between synthetic and natural vanilla

The difference in aroma between synthesized vanillin and natural vanilla is, in fact, very significant. According to research, the smell of vanilla contains four hundred different components, and vanillin is only one of them. Therefore, the aroma of real vanilla is much richer and more multifaceted than the smell of an artificial substitute.


The aroma of natural vanilla is much softer and more versatile than its synthetic counterpart.

Characteristics

  • white or colorless powder;
  • sweet aroma;
  • bitter taste.

Nutritional value and calorie content

Nutritional value and calorie content per 100 grams of product

Chemical composition

The composition of natural vanillin includes:

  • essential oil;
  • gluco-vanillin;
  • tannin;
  • cinnamon ester.

Where and how to choose

In specialized stores selling professional bakery and confectionery products, vanilla can be purchased in a variety of forms: in pods, in powder, and also in the form of an extract or essence. Synthesized vanillin is sold in any grocery store.

A quality product should have a strong, rich aroma. If you purchase vanilla pods, make sure that they are long, soft and bend well.

The vanilla beans should be buttery and bend well.

Natural vanillin is very expensive and is produced in minute quantities, so it is almost impossible to find it on the shelves

You can find synthesized vanillin in any store or markets.

Beneficial features

  • calms and relaxes;
  • is a good antidepressant;
  • has antioxidant and anticarcinogenic effects;
  • considered a natural aphrodisiac;
  • normalizes metabolism;
  • helps relieve allergy symptoms;
  • has an anti-inflammatory effect;
  • is an antimicrobial agent.

Harm

  • may cause a severe allergic reaction, manifested in irritation of the skin and mucous membranes.

Oil

Vanilla essential oil has a strong, spicy-sweet aroma that lasts for many years. It has found application in medicine, cosmetology and aromatherapy. Vanilla oil is included in many cosmetics and perfumes. Not only is it an excellent flavoring agent, but it also has a calming and rejuvenating effect. The beneficial properties of this oil allow it to be used to combat various diseases. Vanilla essential oil can be used internally, in the form of inhalations or aroma lamps, and also added to a bath or massage mixture.

Vanilla essential oil awakens feelings and improves mood

Application

In cooking

  • vanillin is added to baked goods to give it a special aroma;
  • vanillin is an essential component of many recipes for sweet creams and sauces;
  • housewives often add vanillin to berry and fruit jams;
  • most confectionery products, including chocolate, caramel, soufflé, etc., contain vanillin;
  • sometimes vanillin is used to flavor alcoholic beverages, for example, liqueurs and some types of vodka;
  • Vanillin is added to dairy and curd products to make them more flavorful.

Adding vanillin to any milkshake will make the taste of the drink rich and refined.

Without vanillin, you won’t be able to make traditional Easter cottage cheese.

Take 4 eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Slowly beat the egg whites, gradually adding a glass of sugar and a pinch of vanillin. After this, without stopping whisking, pour the yolks into the resulting mass. Then, kneading the dough from bottom to top, add a glass of sifted flour. Then set the oven temperature to 200 degrees and let it preheat. While the oven is heating, prepare a baking dish. The bottom can be greased with oil or covered with parchment paper. The cake should be baked for 20-25 minutes.


Curd vanilla cream

Beat 2/3 of a standard package of butter, 170 grams of cottage cheese and 1 tsp into a homogeneous mass. vanillin. Beat at low speed. Then add a glass of powdered sugar and beat the mixture again, this time gradually increasing the speed to maximum. The cream is ready!


In medicine

Natural vanillin can be used as an aid to combat the following diseases:

  • rheumatic pains;
  • digestive disorders;
  • fever;
  • mental disorders;
  • depression;
  • sleep disorders;
  • diseases of the nervous system;
  • skin inflammation;
  • poor health on critical days;
  • menstrual irregularities;
  • intestinal colic.

When losing weight

Many modern weight loss systems include vanilla, but not as a food additive, but as a powerful antidepressant. Inhaling the sweet aroma of vanilla helps fight bad mood, relieves anxiety and calms nerves. In addition, when inhaling this smell, a person produces hormones that block the feeling of hunger.

Vanillin is always added to protein shakes for weight loss.

At home

If you dilute a bag of vanillin in water and sprinkle your clothes and skin with this solution, you can relax in nature without fear of an invasion of midges, since the sweet smell repels these insects.


Take vanillin sachets on a hike - an aqueous solution of vanillin will save you from midges

  • Natural vanillin is considered one of the most expensive spices in the world.
  • Some Native American tribes used vanilla beans instead of money.

Who doesn't know the sweetish vanilla smell?! It is present in most confectionery products as a flavor enhancer. Is vanillin, familiar from childhood, so harmless? Let's figure it out.

Natural and synthetic vanillin

Before discussing the benefits and harms of vanillin for the body, it is worth finding out what types there are. It’s worth mentioning right away that there are actually two types of this product:

  • Natural vanillin - made from the pods of aromatic vines belonging to the orchid family. The main supplier of natural vanilla is Madagascar. And its share is less than 5% of the total amount of vanillin produced in the world.
  • Synthetic vanillin is produced by synthesis from various raw materials - clove oil, paper industry residues, rice bran and the largest volumes from petrochemical materials.

Natural vanillin causes virtually no harm to human health and is highly valued, so we will take a closer look at the effect of the synthetic analogue on the body.

Common forms of vanillin. Crystal form

It has a smell that is practically indistinguishable from natural vanilla, is not afraid of thermal effects, has a long shelf life and retains its properties when heated to 250 degrees. Crystalline vanillin is in demand in the confectionery industry, especially for making ice cream. The crystals dissolve perfectly in alcohol already at 20 °C, and in water at a temperature of 75 °C.

Powder form

In fact, it is vanillin powder with various impurities based on types of glucose (dextrose, lactose, etc.). The powder, in comparison with crystalline vanillin, has the finest structure and is widely used in the manufacture of chocolate products. Even at room temperature, the flavor has a pronounced odor and dissolves well in water.

Liquid form

This form is used when vanillin is used in dissolved form, for example, in drinks. The liquid is created from a crystalline base dissolved in various carriers (ethyl alcohol, triacetate, propylene glycol). The main indicators of the liquid form are the temperature of the carrier and the percentage of vanillin content. The water-soluble carrier propylene glycol dissolves at 180 degrees, therefore, liquid vanillin on this basis is characterized by increased heat resistance and is usually used for the production of dairy products, confectionery products and a variety of drinks.

The benefits and harms of crystalline, powder and liquid vanillin will be discussed further.

What are the benefits of vanillin?

The popularity of the aromatic additive is due to its sweetness. Therefore, the beneficial effects of vanillin are often associated with the effect of vanilla odor on the body. It has a good calming effect and effectively reduces irritability and anxiety.

Using any cosmetic product with the addition of a small amount of vanilla can help relieve tension, relax, and achieve sound, restful sleep. When applied to skin or hair, the vanilla scent will stay with you all day.

I would like to add about the positive effects on humans when using natural vanillin:

  • contains antioxidants that prevent aging and maintain a beautiful appearance;
  • stimulates brain activity, improves concentration and memory, has a beneficial effect on creativity;
  • has a powerful anti-carcinogenic effect, prevents the formation of malignant tumors;
  • enhances the therapeutic effect on the body for arthrosis and arthritis;
  • strengthens the immune system, helps a person quickly recover from infectious and inflammatory diseases.

What harm can the use of vanillin cause?

We will talk about synthetic vanillin, since the natural product has virtually no side effects on human health.

Like any artificially synthesized substance, vanillin is harmful to the human body.

Some synthesis options use coumarin, a highly toxic carcinogen. It has been proven to have a negative effect on the liver.

But the vanillin flavoring agent, the benefits and harms of which we are studying, is used in such small doses that it is difficult to prove the actual harm from the use of vanillin. Except for an allergic reaction to the flavoring or any component during its production. This may manifest itself as skin irritation, pigmentation disorders and skin dermatitis. This usually applies to workers who regularly come into contact with it in production, for example, sorters or powder packers.

There is no reliable data on the safety of vanillin for pregnant and nursing mothers. Contraindicated only in case of individual intolerance to vanillin.

Consumption of vanillin in moderate doses is practically safe for the body. But constant use is not recommended, like any synthetic product.

Energy and biological value

100 g of vanillin contains:

The increased calorie content is compensated by small doses of vanillin. And it is used in products that are difficult to classify as dietary foods. Vanillin is usually added to high-carbohydrate foods with a high fat content - biscuits, chocolate, cookies, ice cream.

Application of vanillin

There is a great need for vanillin flavoring in the food industry for the manufacture of food products. The use of ice cream and chocolate in the production of ice cream and chocolate is especially popular; according to statistics, these two products account for 75% of the vanillin produced. Widely used to enhance the taste of tea, cocktails and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

But few people know that vanilla aroma goes harmoniously with meat dishes. For example, when preparing sweet and sour fruit sauce.

Vanillin is often used not only to impart a pleasant aroma to the product, but also to eliminate the smell and taste of a low-quality product. It is important to use vanillin in strict proportions; an excess of flavoring will give a specific bitterness to the product.

Vanilla scent is popular when creating cosmetics. Each cosmetic company has more than one series using vanilla aroma. It is often used to eliminate unpleasant odors and tastes from pharmaceuticals, especially baby detergents and detergents. There are known successful attempts by Taiwanese scientists to use vanillin in the treatment of psoriasis.

Vanillin has also found its use in domestic conditions for the preparation of repellent against midges and mosquitoes based on an aqueous or oil solution, as well as when mixed with baby cream. For infants, this is the only absolutely harmless repellent.

Finally

The health benefits and harms of vanillin, like other flavorings, have not yet been fully studied. But we can say with confidence that using this product in the correct dosage will not cause any harm to health.

The homeland of vanilla is Central and South America. When Europeans tasted this spice, they wanted to cultivate it in other colonies with a suitable climate. The liana grew where it was planted and bloomed regularly, but no fruit appeared on it. Why - the Belgian botanist and gardener Charles Francois Antoine Morran found out in 1836. Vanilla is pollinated by stingless melipona bees (Meliponula ferruginea), which live only in Mexico; other insects cannot cope with this task.

Morran was the first to begin experiments on artificial pollination of vanilla. However, the method that was invented in 1841 by Edmond Albius, a 12-year-old black boy from Reunion Island, was widely used. The person playing the role of a bee uses a thin sliver to push back the membrane separating the anther from the stigma of the pistil (this membrane prevents the flower from self-pollinating), and then transfers the pollen to the pistil with his thumb. And so with every flower.

Pollination is just the first step. It is necessary to collect pods of a certain ripeness, but they do not ripen at the same time. They are placed in a hot oven or in water at a temperature of +63-65°C - this stops unwanted enzymatic processes. The pods are then wrapped in woolen cloth and placed in the sun for ten days in a row to warm them for a certain time (about an hour). Then they are slowly dried, and then white “frost” appears on them - vanillin crystals. It is formed from odorless glucovanillin, from which glucose is split off. And the aroma finally matures after a few more months of storage. It's clear why vanilla is so expensive.

As soon as organic chemistry became mature enough to be interested in phenol derivatives, chemists began trying to produce vanillin. In the 70s of the 19th century, several synthesis routes were proposed. The raw materials were chosen that were available in temperate latitudes: coniferine from coniferous plants, eugenol from clove essential oil, guaiacol - a product of dry distillation of wood.

Until the 20s of the 20th century, vanillin was made from eugenol, and then another method appeared, horrifying to death lovers of all natural things. During paper production, a by-product is formed - a brown liquid containing the product of the interaction of the wood polymer lignin and sulfurous acid. It was treated with alkalis and oxidizing agents, and vanillin was isolated and purified from the resulting substance (and if we look at the formula of lignin, we will understand where it came from).

Today, vanillin is obtained mainly from guaiacol, although the reactions are slightly different from those used in the 19th century. Production from pulp mill waste is losing popularity, but biosynthetic vanillin has appeared, which is made by bacteria. The French company Rhodia began selling such a product in 2000; the raw material for it is ferulic acid from rice bran. By the way, the synthesis of vanillin in vanilla pods also occurs through ferulic acid. Such a product can with a clear conscience be called a “natural flavoring,” but it cannot compete in price with vanillin from guaiacol.

The burning question: which vanillin is better? The American culinary magazine Cook's Illustrated in 2009 invited a group of tasters (obviously non-professional) to compare desserts with natural vanilla and synthetic flavors. In puddings and dairy desserts, vanilla had some advantage, but in baked goods there was no significant difference; moreover, cookies, which was baked in a hot oven with a high-quality synthetic flavoring, it turned out tastier, although on any culinary forum there will be experts who will say that those tasters are stupid and personally they can always distinguish real vanilla.

Chemists confirm: there is a difference. Natural vanilla, in addition to vanillin, smells of cinnamon esters, anise alcohol and aldehyde. Vanillin from lignin is acetovanilone (and some people like it that way). Apparently, this is why some people are allergic to synthetic vanillin, but calmly consume vanilla, others do the opposite, and still others become covered in a rash from vanillin of any origin. Let's not forget about artificial analogues of vanillin, for example ethyl vanillin - its smell is much stronger, which pleases manufacturers, but allergies can also occur to it.

Oh, and another wonderful thing: in 2007, Japanese Mayu Yamamoto received the Ig Nobel Prize in chemistry for extracting vanillin from manure. I don’t know if the Yamamoto process has found use. It seems to me that guaiacol is better.

Flavoring with vanilla is not so easy. There is no point in pouring crystals into cream or dough; it is better to dilute one packet of vanillin in 50 ml of vodka, and then pour the solution into cooled sugar syrup (400 g of sugar per glass of water) and use as needed.

You can buy vanilla extract - an alcoholic tincture of vanilla pods. Vanilla essence differs from vanilla extract in having a higher concentration of aromatic components.

If you have vanilla pods, make the extract yourself: four pods split in half per 100 g of vodka, two to three weeks in a cool place. Two pods, half a liter of vodka and a few hours - this is vanilla vodka for ladies and discerning connoisseurs.

One or two pods per half a kilogram of sugar in a tightly closed jar and one week (or longer) vanilla sugar.

And of course, the timeless classic - the pod, manually ground with sugar in a mortar.

Reference

Reunion Island is located in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. Belongs to France. The population is about 800 thousand people, mostly Creoles. Natural vanilla is still produced here in small quantities (tens of tons per year).

Vanillin production

Full name: Vanillin confectionery

Vanillin confectionery- the only “aristocratic” spice that comes from the orchid family (homeland - Mexico). Liana pods, rich in various aromatic substances, are used as a spice. Vanilla fruits are collected when they are still green; in this form they do not smell of vanilla and contain vanillin in the form of a glycoside. After harvesting, the fruits are kept for several months until a characteristic odor appears; small crystals of vanillin even appear on the pods. Vanilla is obtained from the pods through a long and complex process, which is used in cooking. There are 8 varieties of vanilla. One of the most expensive spices, because... Vanillin pods contain no more than 1-3%.

Global demand for vanillin significantly exceeds the actual amount produced from vanilla pods. According to statistics, for example, the need for vanillin in 2001 was 12,000 tons, but only 1,800 tons were produced naturally. Accordingly, all the missing vanillin was created artificially, that is, chemically synthesized. Vanillin was first synthesized in the 19th century. Historically, the first was the synthesis from guaiacol. Currently, crystalline vanillin is synthesized from both guaiacol and lignin, a constituent of wood that is a by-product of the pulp and paper industry. Lignin-based vanillin has a richer aroma due to the presence of apocynin impurities.

Crystalline vanillin has a classic vanilla scent. It appears as small crystals or white powder. It is resistant to high processing temperatures and does not lose its qualities for 25 minutes even at temperatures of 220-250°C. It is actively used in baking and the production of flour confectionery products, and in the production of ice cream. It dissolves in water at 75°C, and in alcohol at 20°C.

Origin

Vanilla beans grow in the Caribbean, the tropics of South America, Ceylon, Malaysia, Madagascar and Reunion (50% of production), the Seychelles, Polynesia - Tahiti and Hawaii. Crystalline vanillin is produced in China, America and Canada, and Europe.

Taste and color

The taste of vanilla is pleasant, characteristically spicy. Crystalline vanillin has a pungent, bitter taste - so it is dissolved in water or alcohol, where it reveals its real magical aroma and taste, and added to the main dish or added at the stage of mixing dry ingredients (in flour, for example).

The aroma is strong, sharper than vanilla.

What do they eat with?

Vanilla and vanillin are used in the preparation of liqueurs and other drinks, dough products and sweets; this is the most popular and subtlest spice. Used in the preparation of fruit compotes, dairy dishes, cream, and cake creams. Vanilla is used to flavor the most expensive confectionery products. It is better to dilute crystalline vanillin in alcohol or vodka with sugar, and use the resulting syrup, or mix it with other dry ingredients (flour, sugar, from 1 to 10 g per 1 kg of dough) before heat treatment. Since vanillin from different manufacturers can impart flavor and aroma to varying degrees, it is recommended to first test the dosage on small quantities of the product.

Added to taste in compotes and liqueurs.

This is interesting:

Based on Wikipedia materials. Vanillin was first isolated in a relatively individual form in 1858 by Nicolas Théodore Gobley, who obtained it by evaporating vanilla extract to dryness and then recrystallizing the resulting substance from hot water. In 1874, German scientists Ferdinand Thiemann and Wilhelm Haarmann determined its chemical structure and found a way to synthesize vanillin from coniferin, an isoeugenol glycoside found in pine bark. Tieman and Haarmann founded the company Haarmann & Reimer (now part of Symrise) and began the first industrial production of vanillin in Holzminden (Germany). In 1876, Karl Reimer synthesized vanillin from guaiacol.

In 1874, the original recipe for synthesis using the Tiemann-Haarmann method was published. At the same time, semi-synthetic vanillin, derived from eugenol and found in clove oil, was already available. The patent formula for synthetic vanillin became known in 1894.

Synthetic vanillin became much more available in the 1930s, when production from clove oil was replaced by production from lignin-containing waste generated during paper production. In 1987, just one paper mill in Ontario supplied 60% of the world market for synthetic vanillin. Nowadays, the most popular method of producing vanillin is the synthesis from guaiacol and glyoxylic acid.

Vanillin is mainly used as a flavoring in sweets. Ice cream and chocolate production accounts for more than 75% of the vanillin market.