With vanilla bean prices once again on the rise, food manufacturers are left with the decision of switching to natural or artificial vanilla.
After a price crash in the early 2000’s, vanilla bean prices stabilized for a few years. This coincided with a steady increase in consumer demand for all-natural and clean label products, leading many food manufacturers to switch from artificial vanillin to vanilla bean extract, despite the reality of crop insufficiencies. Limited crop harvests, coupled with unfavorable weather conditions, led to demand that greatly out measured the supply. In 2015, vanilla bean extract prices began to soar once again, leaving food manufacturers with the question of how to fulfill their vanilla needs while maintaining their natural and clean label credentials.
Their quest has increasingly led them to natural vanillin. Although it is more expensive than artificial vanillin, it carries many benefits. It satisfies the natural and clean-label credentials, is significantly cheaper than vanilla bean extract, and importantly, has the more complex flavor notes of vanilla that artificial vanilla has not been able to replicate. More disturbing are the recent studies on artificial vanillin products. The studies have discovered that many include the chemical toluene, which is known to have negative effects on the nervous system, liver, kidneys, and lungs.
At Aurochemicals, using natural ingredients in our vanillin remains a top priority. We understand the importance of natural ingredients, not only to the health of the consumer, but also to maintaining the integrity of the flavor. That’s why we continue to uphold a 99 percent purity rating in our natural vanillin, exceeding both food and pharmaceutical grades.
Quality alone is not what makes Aurochemicals a leader in the vanillin industry. Key to our production strategies is the systematic production of the product so that our customers can always rely on us to have a consistently high-quality product, at the quantities they need, when they need them. Close collaboration with our supply chain providers ensure that even in difficult times, our stock of raw materials is available without compromise. This requires careful management of resources in coordination with bold forecasting, skillful planning, and visionary leadership, all of which are abundant at Aurochemicals.