Vanillin: a famous flavoring agent

Description

Vanilla is one of the most critical flavors in the food and beverage industries, and it is also used in perfumery and pharmaceutical products. Natural vanilla extract from Vanilla planifolia (V. planifolia) or Vanilla tahitensis comprises over 200 components, the primary compound being vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde). Other compounds include vanillic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, sugars, and lipids[1].

Use

Vanillin is a natural organic compound extracted from the vanilla bean of Rutaceae and is a famous flavoring agent widely used worldwide. As vanillin has the aroma of vanilla bean and a strong milky fragrance, it is an important ingredient in foods, beverages, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

Vanilla flavoring agents typically contain vanillin or its analog ethyl vanillin. Ogawa et al. revealed that the inhalation of eugenol, which contains a vanillyl group, has an appetite-enhancing effect, and the inhalation of aroma compounds containing the vanillyl group or its analogs led to increased food intake in mice. They found that vanillin, ethyl vanillin, and eugenol showed appetite-enhancing effects. In contrast, isoeugenol and safrole did not. The appetite-enhancing effects could be attributable to the vanillyl group and could be affected by the position of the double bond in the aliphatic chain. Furthermore, the results of intraperitoneal administration of eugenol and vanillin suggest that their appetite-enhancing effects could occur via stimulation of olfactory receptors[2].

Research Focus

In addition to its safety issues, the research hotspots about vanillin also include improving its production technology. Plant-based vanillin can no longer meet the annual global demand for bio-vanillin. Thus, chemical synthesis is commonly used to manufacture vanillin. Considering the environmental impact of chemical synthesis, the possibility of utilizing microbial genetic and metabolic engineering to transform renewable biomass-based substrates into vanillin offers a promising alternative to produce commercially viable bio-vanillin. Processes for environmentally friendly vanillin production in microorganisms from different carbon sources, such as eugenol, isoeugenol, lignin, ferulic acid, sugars, and waste residues, with high productivity and yield, have been developed[3-4].

Side effects

If large amounts of these flavor enhancers are ingested, they could cause vomiting, headaches, and nausea, affecting liver and kidney function. Research has found that the binding of VAN with ctDNA was mainly via minor groove binding, and thymine bases of ctDNA were the primary binding sites, visualized by molecular docking[5]. In addition, the binding led to the conformational transition of ctDNA from B–form to A–form but did not induce significant DNA cleavage.

References

[1] Chee Marcus Jenn Yang. "Bioengineering of the Plant Culture of Capsicum frutescens with Vanillin Synthase Gene for the Production of Vanillin." Molecular Biotechnology 59 (2016): 1–8.

[2] Kakuyou Ogawa. "Appetite-enhancing effects of vanilla flavours such as vanillin." Journal of Natural Medicines 72 3 (2018): 798–802.

[3] Qianqian Ma. "Biosynthesis of vanillin by different microorganisms: a review." World journal of microbiology & biotechnology 38 3 (2022): 40.

[4] Lingxia Xu . "Advances in the vanillin synthesis and biotransformation: A review." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 189 (2023): Article 113905.

[5] Kaixin Xia. "Groove Binding of Vanillin and Ethyl Vanillin to Calf Thymus DNA." Journal of Fluorescence 27 5 (2017): 1815–1828.

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