Compendium of the most significant studies with reference to properties, intake, effects.
The Intracellular Localization of the Vanillin Biosynthetic Machinery in Pods of Vanilla planifolia.
Gallage NJ, Jørgensen K, Janfelt C, Nielsen AJZ, Naake T, Dunski E, Dalsten L, Grisoni M, Møller BL.
Plant Cell Physiol. 2018 Feb 1;59(2):304-318. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcx185.
Abstract. Vanillin is the most important flavor compound in the vanilla pod. Vanilla planifolia vanillin synthase (VpVAN) catalyzes the conversion of ferulic acid and ferulic acid glucoside into vanillin and vanillin glucoside, respectively. Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) of vanilla pod sections demonstrates that vanillin glucoside is preferentially localized within the mesocarp and placental laminae whereas vanillin is preferentially localized within the mesocarp. VpVAN is present as the mature form (25 kDa) but, depending on the tissue and isolation procedure, small amounts of the immature unprocessed form (40 kDa) and putative oligomers (50, 75 and 100 kDa) may be observed by immunoblotting using an antibody specific to the C-terminal sequence of VpVAN. The VpVAN protein is localized within chloroplasts and re-differentiated chloroplasts termed phenyloplasts, as monitored during the process of pod development. Isolated chloroplasts were shown to convert [14C]phenylalanine and [14C]cinnamic acid into [14C]vanillin glucoside, indicating that the entire vanillin de novo biosynthetic machinery converting phenylalanine to vanillin glucoside is present in the chloroplast.
Peretti AL, Antunes JS, Lovison K, Kunz RI, Castor LRG, Brancalhão RMC, Bertolini GRF, Ribeiro LFC. Action of vanillin (Vanilla planifolia) on the morphology of tibialis anterior and soleus muscles after nerve injury. Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2017 Apr-Jun;15(2):186-191. doi: 10.1590/S1679-45082017AO3967.
Abstract. Objective: To evaluate the action of vanillin (Vanilla planifolia) on the morphology of tibialis anterior and soleus muscles after peripheral nerve injury.....Conclusion: The treatment with vanillin promoted increase in intramuscular vascularization for the muscles studied, with pro-inflammatory potential for tibialis anterior, but not for soleus muscle.
Ramírez-Mosqueda MA, Iglesias-Andreu LG. Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Jacks.) cell suspension cultures: establishment, characterization, and applications. 3 Biotech. 2017 Aug;7(4):242. doi: 10.1007/s13205-017-0871-x.
Abstract. The establishment and characterization of cell suspension cultures are an in vitro culture technique very useful for various plant biotechnological applications (production of secondary metabolites, mass micropropagation, protoplast isolation and fusion, gene transfer and the investigation of cell pathways). The objective of this study was to establish and characterization of cell suspension cultures of V. planifolia by inducing friable calluses. For that, friable calluses were obtained from immature seeds cultivated in MS medium supplemented with 0.45 µM thidiazuron (TDZ). The effect of benzyladenine (BA) in different concentrations was evaluated. Cultures were incubated under photoperiod at continuous stirring at 120 rpm on an orbital shaker. The optimal condition found for biomass growth in suspension cultures was 0.5 g of inoculum density (fresh weight) in MS liquid, supplemented with 8.88 µM BA. The growth kinetics of the cell suspension culture revealed a maximum cell growth (exponential growth phase) at day 16 and an 80% cell viability. The establishment and characterization of cell suspension cultures of V. planifolia constitute the bases of future studies and above all a better biotechnological use of this crop.
Gu F, Chen Y, Fang Y, Wu G, Tan L. Contribution of Bacillus Isolates to the Flavor Profiles of Vanilla Beans Assessed through Aroma Analysis and Chemometrics. Molecules. 2015 Oct 9;20(10):18422-36. doi: 10.3390/molecules201018422.
Abstract. Colonizing Bacillus in vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews) beans is involved in glucovanillin hydrolysis and vanillin formation during conventional curing. The flavor profiles of vanilla beans under Bacillus-assisted curing were analyzed through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, electronic nose, and quantitative sensory analysis. The flavor profiles were analytically compared among the vanilla beans under Bacillus-assisted curing, conventional curing, and non-microorganism-assisted curing. Vanilla beans added with Bacillus vanillea XY18 and Bacillus subtilis XY20 contained higher vanillin (3.58%±0.05% and 3.48%±0.10%, respectively) than vanilla beans that underwent non-microorganism-assisted curing and conventional curing (3.09%±0.14% and 3.21%±0.15%, respectively). Forty-two volatiles were identified from endogenous vanilla metabolism. Five other compounds were identified from exogenous Bacillus metabolism. Electronic nose data confirmed that vanilla flavors produced through the different curing processes were easily distinguished. Quantitative sensory analysis confirmed that Bacillus-assisted curing increased vanillin production without generating any unpleasant sensory attribute. Partial least squares regression further provided a correlation model of different measurements. Overall, we comparatively analyzed the flavor profiles of vanilla beans under Bacillus-assisted curing, indirectly demonstrated the mechanism of vanilla flavor formation by microbes.
Brunschwig C, Rochard S, Pierrat A, Rouger A, Senger-Emonnot P, George G, Raharivelomanana P. Volatile composition and sensory properties of Vanilla × tahitensis bring new insights for vanilla quality control. J Sci Food Agric. 2016 Feb;96(3):848-58. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.7157.
Abstract. Background: Vanilla × tahitensis produced in French Polynesia has a unique flavour among vanilla species. However, data on volatiles and sensory properties remain limited. In this study, the volatile composition and sensory properties of V. × tahitensis from three Polynesian cultivars and two origins (French Polynesia/Papua New Guinea) were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and quantitative descriptive analysis, respectively, and compared to Vanilla planifolia....Conclusion: This study brings new insights to vanilla quality control, with a focus on key volatile compounds, irrespective of origin. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
Kundu A, Mitra A. Flavoring extracts of Hemidesmus indicus roots and Vanilla planifolia pods exhibit in vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2013 Sep;68(3):247-53. doi: 10.1007/s11130-013-0363-z.
Abstract. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) are important for treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. Search for potent and safe AChEIs from plant sources still continues. In the present work, we explored fragrant plant extracts that are traditionally used in flavoring foods, namely, Hemidesmus indicus and Vanilla planifolia, as possible sources for AChEI. Root and pod extracts of H. indicus and V. planifolia, respectively, produce fragrant phenolic compounds, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (MBALD) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (vanillin). These methoxybenzaldehydes were shown to have inhibitory potential against acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Vanillin (IC50 = 0.037 mM) was detected as more efficient inhibitor than MBALD (IC50 = 0.047 mM). This finding was supported by kinetic analysis. Thus, plant-based food flavoring agents showed capacity in curing Alzheimer's disease and other neurological dysfunctions.
Zhang S, Mueller C. Comparative analysis of volatiles in traditionally cured Bourbon and Ugandan vanilla bean ( Vanilla planifolia ) extracts. J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Oct 24;60(42):10433-44. doi: 10.1021/jf302615s.
Abstract. Traditionally cured vanilla beans ( Vanilla planifolia ) from Madagascar and Uganda were extracted with organic solvents, and the volatiles were separated from the nonvolatile fraction using the solvent assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) technique. Concentrated vanilla bean extracts were analyzed using GC-MS and GC-O. Two hundred and forty-six volatile compounds were identified using the Automated Mass Spectral Deconvolution and Identification System (AMDIS) software, of which 13 were confirmed with authentic compounds from commercial sources and the others were tentatively identified on the basis of calibrated linear retention indices and the comparison of deconvoluted mass spectra with the in-house and/or NIST spectra databases. Vanillin was the most abundant constituent followed by guaiacol. The total concentration of the volatile compounds, excluding vanillin, was 301 mg/kg for Bourbon and 398 mg/kg for Ugandan vanilla bean extracts. Analytical comparison between the two vanilla bean extracts was discussed. Seventy-eight compounds were identified as odor-active compounds in the vanilla bean extracts with 10 confirmed with authentic references. It was found that there were substantial analytical differences in the odor-active compounds of the two extracts.
Vanilla 
4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol
