Lignin, vanillin flavors

The Norwegian company Borregaard makes vanillin by chemo-oxidation of cheap natural lignin. In view of the complexity of the lignin structure this is a remarkable achievement. This semi-synthetic vanillin is, however, not allowed to carry the qualification of natural . Borregaard is the only global producer of lignin-vanillin or wood-sourced vanillin , with a volume of about 2000 t a-1. They obtain 4 kg vanillin from one ton of wood. This vanillin is more expensive than synthetic vanillin, but the flavorist needs lower doses of the extra round flavor . 

The Remier-Tiemann reaction is also used to produce another form of vanillin called ethyl vanillin. Ethyl vanillin is the ethyl ether of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-3-ethoxybenzaldehyde ((CH3CH20)(0H)C6H3CH0). It is a close chemical relative of natural vanillin in which the methyl ( CH3) group of natural vanillin is replaced by an ethyl ( CH2CH3) group. Ethyl vanillin is also known as artificial vanilla or synthetic vanilla. Its flavor is about three times as strong as that of methyl vanillin and is used to fortify or replace natural vanillin and lignin vanillin. 

Vanilla flavoring in bakery goods, confectionery, and many fro2en desserts need not be natural vanilla. The artificial and synthetic vanilla flavors that are used include vanillin [121-33-5] from lignin (wood pulp), ethyl vanillin [121 -32-4] and vanitrope [94-86-0], the latter two are synthetics. Over 90% of the U.S. market for vanilla flavor contains vanillin. These synthetics continue to dominate the market because of availabiUty, quahty, and relatively low and stable prices. 

The production of vanillin for flavoring pxurposes still provides a major useful outlet for softwood lignins, but the lignosulfonates from a few mills suffice to saturate the market, even though the yield of vanillin is low. 

Vanillin is obtained from sulfite waste liquor by further alkaline hydrolysis of lignin. It is the same substance that can be obtained from vanilla bean extract and is the common flavoring in foods and drinks. Natural and synthetic vanillin can be distinguished from each other by a slight difference in the amount of 13C in their structure, since one is biosynthetic in the bean and the other is isolated from a second natural product, wood, by hydrolysis of the lignin. 

F F compounds are usually not a significant part of plants. Typically they comprise <1%, sometimes much less than 1%, of the plant s total weight. They form from precursors that may constitute a large proportion of the plant. Maltol, a burnt sugar note, has carbohydrates as its precursor, vanillin has lignin as its precursor, beta-ionone, used in berry flavors, has carotenoids as its precursor, and the green notes, hexanal and (E)-2-hexenal, have the fatty acids, linoleic acid and linolenic acid, respectively, as their precursors. 

By now it is clear that vanillin can be made from lignin, but why is synthetic vanillin needed at all The answer is quite simple there isn t enough natural vanillin to go round. The world currently consumes about 12,000 t of vanillin each year, only 18001 of which is produced in vanilla plants (e.g. Vanilla planifolid). Vanilla originates in Central America, and when Heman Cortes conquered the Aztee Empire, vanilla was already in use to flavor chocolate. Vanilla and cocoa arrived together in Europe in 1528 (—>2.22). 

Vanillin is a phenolic aldehyde used in the food industry as a flavoring agent, mainly applied in ice cream and chocolate industries, with smaller amounts being used in confectionary and baked goods. Vanillin and related phenols can also be produced by microbial degradation of lignin. 

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