What is vanillin and where does it come from?
Vanillin Market |
The principal chemical ingredient in vanilla bean extract is
vanillin. Vanillin is now mostly utilised as a flavouring additive in sweet
foods like ice cream and chocolate. Did you know that today, 99 percent of
vanillin is synthesised rather than derived from vanilla beans? It can be made
in a variety of methods, including from guaiacol, a petrochemical raw
ingredient, wood, or other biomass sources (organic material coming from
plants). Today, lignin (see our earlier article on lignin) accounts for 15% of
global vanillin production, mostly by the Norwegian business Borregaard.
According to Coherent
Market Insights the Vanillin
Market Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity
Analysis, 2018-2026
Let's take a closer look at the process of extracting
vanillin from biomass sources, which is one of the Liberate project's goals. It
all starts with the cellulose extracted from the wood used to make paper.
What's left after the cellulose is primarily Kraft lignin, which had little
commercial use until recently. Vanillin may now be extracted from this lignin
thanks to a complicated oxidation process of the lignin structures. The key
benefit touted by its proponents is that it has a substantially reduced carbon
footprint than its petrochemical rivals.
Vanillin is produced in the Liberate project by oxidising
and breaking down lignin into small molecules using an electrochemical and thermal
depolymerization method. The goal is to extract 7% of the vanillin contained in
the lignin, compared to a 2% efficiency yield with currently available
commercial technologies. This significant advancement will reduce production
costs and expand the range of applications for which vanillin is utilised as a
raw ingredient.
Finally, do you know why ancient books have such a distinct
odour? Because the paper is formed of cellulose, which contains some residual
vanillin.
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