Use of Vanilla in Food Product Formulation

 

Dr. Fulya Eren

 ACH Food Companies Inc. 

Cordova, TN

feren@achfood.com

 

 

Despite being the second most expensive spice next to saffron, vanilla has been widely used as a flavoring ingredient in food and beverage industries. With all flavor producers can offer, the food industry has limitless options to develop new flavor profiles and yet vanilla has been there for many generations in great demand and with growing interest. According to Mintel, a new product database, 7490 food and 434 beverage products with vanilla in the ingredients list have been put on shelves within the previous 12-month period (as of July 10 2014). What makes vanilla so desirable?  Vanilla, one of the most complex, identifiable, comforting and sophisticated flavors, consisting of over 600 compounds, is universally liked by all regardless of age, gender, or geographical origin. Additionally vanilla fits into the major industry trends like healthy, organic, fair trade, and sustainable.

Vanilla in food and beverage industry is not only used as a primary flavor, it also carries many functional aspects in product design. Being used in the background rather than the main flavor it smoothes bitter flavors, supplements fruitiness, enhances sweetness and compliments indulgent flavors. Although being used prominently in dairy based frozen products, sweet baked goods, chocolate, and candy, vanilla's application areas cover a wide variety of foods and beverages from sweet to savory recipes.  Vanilla is sourced from a number of different beans, each with different tastes and aroma characteristics: Madagascar beans with their more traditional vanilla flavor, Indonesian beans with their smoky character, and Tahitian beans with their fruity attributes have their separate places in product formulation.  With all it has been offering to our culinary world, the possibilities of vanilla application are limited only by our imagination.

 

Dr. Fulya Eren received her undergraduate degrees in Food Engineering and Physics from Middle East Technical University in Turkey. Following her graduation she continued her studies in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, receiving her Masters and Ph.D. degrees from Rutgers University in NJ. Dr. Eren worked on modification of fatty acid desaturation in tomato cultures during her graduate studies. She finished her post doctoral studies with Dr. Belanger and Dr. Havkin-Frenkel at Biotech Center, Rutgers, NJ on characterization of a multifunctional methyltransferase from the orchid Vanilla planifolia. Later on Dr. Eren joined USDA Vegetable Lab.  Dr. Eren started to her career in the food industry as Research and Development Manager for savory flavors and tea with Unilever. She was in charge of product development for Africa,  the Middle East and Turkey. Later she returned to the US and worked as Technical Manager for Harris Freeman on Tea and Spice categories and as Product Development Manager for Nutro – Mars, in charge of dry and wet natural pet food. Dr. Eren is currently working with ACH Food Companies Inc., as Product Development Manager for Baking and Oil categories. During her career in the food industry Dr. Eren led and managed various innovation, product development and supply chain projects, and launched over 200 new products across various categories in many countries.