What's the difference between vanilla flavouring and vanilla extract?
Vanilla flavoring is the popularized name for synthetic vanillin. It’s a chemically synthesized flavoring that recreates one of vanilla’s main aromatic molecules. It differs from natural flavor, which is not obtained by chemical synthesis, but is derived from a natural component. The latter may be vanilla itself, or sometimes combined with or even replaced by other natural components such as rice husks or cloves…
Finally, natural vanilla flavoring is a more precise term that designates all flavors at least 95% derived from vanilla (the remaining 5% can sometimes be other natural components).
The presence of a flavoring in a food product must be indicated on the packaging in the list of ingredients.
Vanilla extract is obtained by macerating vanilla beans in successive baths of alcohol. NOROHY uses 200g of certified organic vanilla beans to obtain one liter of extract.
After filtration and decanting, oleoresin is obtained: a paste with a high concentration of aromas. This is diluted in cane sugar syrup to facilitate processing, and is thus called “vanilla extract”.
In France, you can’t talk about “natural vanilla extracts” without the authorities calling it an abuse. Indeed, the term “extract” is used for natural preparations. The redundant term “natural” is not used in this case.
If you’ve kept up with the subtleties of the different names, vanilla extract is by definition 100% vanilla… It is therefore a natural vanilla flavoring. By contrast, vanilla extract is not vanilla flavoring, nor is it simply a natural flavor.
Some manufacturers add additives to their “natural vanilla flavor” or “vanilla extract”. These include flavor enhancers or other flavors such as caramel… Finally, others dilute the extract with water, but compensate with texturizers to obtain a visually comparable product.
If these added ingredients are not mentioned on the label, then these are reprehensible fraudulent practices.
In 2022, the DGCCRF, or French fraud control authority, carried out an inspection of 177 establishments producing vanilla-based aromatic products. Of all the extracts analyzed, only one in two complied with the label!
As part of our commitment to transparency, NOROHY offers a clean-label vanilla extract. In other words, we only use the ingredients essential to the recipe. NOROHY’s organic Bourbon vanilla extract is obtained from unripe vanilla beans and cane sugar syrup. Alcohol baths are not included in the composition, as this compound evaporates during the process.
To provide you with even greater guarantees, NOROHY analyzes each batch and indicates the vanillin content on the bottle at the time of bottling. We also indicate the weight of the vanilla pods on the label. This means 200g of unused beans with intense aromas.
To test the aromatic intensity and richness ofNOROHY’s organic Bourbon vanilla extract from Madagascar, visit Valrhona-selection.fr for professionals and consumers. NOROHY organic vanilla extract is available in 50ml and 225ml for private customers. Professionals can order it in 225ml, 1kg or 6kg (with or without seeds).
In conclusion, you’ve understood that the devil is sometimes in the detail. So it’s important to read labels and know how to decipher them. Here you are, with some knowledge of current regulations. It’s now easier to differentiate vanilla extract from vanilla flavouring or natural vanilla flavouring…
To buy with a clear conscience, be sure to read labels carefully. Finally, if in doubt, every customer has the right to ask the manufacturer for the product’s technical data sheet. This allows you to be sure of the composition of the vanilla extract you are buying.