Vanilla remains one of the most important flavours in the food and beverage industry. It is a staple ingredient across countless applications, with 81% of consumers saying they love or like the flavour, and it consistently ranks as the favourite ice cream flavour in both the UK and the US.
At Plant-Ex, our vanilla extract solutions are developed through a carefully controlled extraction process to ensure consistency, quality, and reliable performance across diverse food and beverage applications. Our premium grade vanilla is certified and sourced directly from organic and sustainable farms in Madagascar, forming the foundation of all our vanilla products.
Our Process
We make every effort to ensure a premium product at every stage of production.
- Sourcing: Vanilla beans are sustainably sourced from Madagascar. The pods come from the Orchid plant, Vanilla planifolia, known for delivering the most intense flavour and aroma.
- Pod Distribution: Pods are distributed into extraction cages that allow the liquid to circulate freely, ensuring a thorough extraction over an extended period.
- Sterilisation: Pods are gently mixed with ethanol for a minimum of 24 hours to extract oil and fat-soluble flavour compounds, creating a rich aromatic solution.
- Extraction of Aqueous Compounds: Water is added to draw out water-soluble compounds, helping to create a full and rounded flavour profile as the extract matures.
- Quality Control: Our QC teams test for compliance, including brix content and taste comparisons against known standards. Extraction continues if required to meet internal benchmarks.
- Filtration and Final Products: The extract is filtered to remove solids. Captured seeds are dried and used in bakery and ice cream applications for visual appeal.
Our HPLC Capability
Our investment in HPLC technology allows for high-level quantitative analysis, particularly useful in verifying the active vanillin content of each batch. This ensures consistency, quality, and validated results on every certificate of analysis.
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography is an analytical technique used to separate, identify, and quantify components in a mixture, widely used across food, pharmaceutical, and scientific industries.
- High resolution for separating complex mixtures.
- Speed compared to traditional methods.
- Sensitivity to detect small concentration changes.
- Quantitative accuracy with consistent, reproducible results.
Vanilla Flavour Profiles
- Beany Vanilla: Intense, authentic vanilla with strong earthy bean notes from initial extraction.
- Woody Vanilla: Warm, rich, and earthy with depth suited to desserts and beverages.
- Smoky Vanilla: Woody profile with subtle smoke top notes for distinctive bakery applications.
- Creamy Vanilla: Added fatty notes to enhance mouthfeel, ideal for ice cream and custard.
- Buttery Vanilla: Delicate sweetness with fatty notes suited to patisserie and pastry applications.
Contact us to request a sample of any of our vanilla products. To request a copy of our vanilla brochure, email marketing@plant-ex.com.
Sources: Datassential, YouGov, Grocery Trader.