Flavor← the wheel

the library

Vanilla

Spice & roots· spice

Vanilla

What it is

Vanilla is the cured seed pod of Vanilla planifolia, an orchid vine native to Mexico, now grown mainly in Madagascar.

What it tastes like

On the nose: vanilla, phenolic, wintergreen, almond. Among its measured molecules: 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, salicylaldehyde, anisyl alcohol, methylvanillin, p-cresol.

What goes with it

223 more go with it. See them all in the full library →

Salt and acid

Salt

Salt not measured yet.

Acid

Acid not measured yet.

Unusual pairings

Pairs the library can cite that almost nobody makes.

15 of 111 compounds on file carry a paper the library can cite.

  • 4-hydroxybenzaldehydearomaphenolMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
    1.32 ± 0.15% relative percentage — Yeh et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 1, Aldehydes, row 'p-hydroxybenzaldehyde')
  • benzaldehydearomaaldehydereads as burning aromatic taste (PubChem)Measured in 54 of 338 ingredients.cite
    detected in the headspace of cured vanilla beans under every curing method tested — Gu et al. 2015, Molecules (Table 1, Aldehydes, row 'Benzaldehyde', column 'CK')
  • benzyl alcoholaromaalcoholreads as faint aromatic odor (PubChem)Measured in 17 of 338 ingredients.cite
    detected in the headspace of cured vanilla beans — Gu et al. 2015, Molecules (Table 1, Alcohols, row 'Benzyl alcohol', column 'CK')
  • guaiacolaromaphenolreads as aromatic odor (PubChem)Measured in 15 of 338 ingredients.cite
    1.78 ± 0.30% — the second-largest identified volatile — Yeh et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 1, Phenols, row 'guaiacol')
  • vanillinaromaphenolreads as sweetish smell (PubChem)Measured in 12 of 338 ingredients.cite
    detected in the headspace of cured vanilla beans under every curing method tested — Gu et al. 2015, Molecules (Table 1 (Volatile compounds detected in the headspace from cured vanilla beans obtained using various curing methods), Aldehydes, row 'Vanillin', column 'CK' (control curing))
  • p-cresolaromaphenolreads as phenolic odor (PubChem)Measured in 7 of 338 ingredients.cite
    0.69 ± 0.12% relative percentage — Yeh et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 1, Phenols, row 'p-cresol')
  • methyl salicylatearomaesterreads as liquid having the characteristic odor of wintergreen (PubChem)Measured in 11 of 338 ingredients.cite
    0.31 ± 0.09% relative percentage — Yeh et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 1, Esters, row 'methyl salicylate')
  • phenylethyl alcoholaromaalcoholreads as sharp burning taste (PubChem)Measured in 41 of 338 ingredients.cite
    detected in the headspace of cured vanilla beans under every curing method tested — Gu et al. 2015, Molecules (Table 1, Alcohols, row 'Phenylethyl alcohol', column 'CK')
  • salicylaldehydearomaphenolreads as burning taste (PubChem)Measured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
    0.22 ± 0.07% relative percentage — Yeh et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 1, Aldehydes, row 'salicylaldehyde')
  • creosolaromaphenolMeasured in 7 of 338 ingredients.cite
    0.46 ± 0.06% relative percentage — Yeh et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 1, Phenols, row 'p-creosol')
  • furfuralaromafuranreads as almond-like odor (PubChem)Measured in 33 of 338 ingredients.cite
    0.56 ± 0.12% relative percentage; the lowest-retention-index compound in the table (RI 799) — Yeh et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 1, Aldehydes, row 'furfural')
  • anisyl alcoholaromaalcoholMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
    detected in the headspace of cured vanilla beans under every curing method tested — Gu et al. 2015, Molecules (Table 1, Alcohols, row 'p-Anisyl alcohol', column 'CK')
  • methylvanillinaromaaldehydeMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
    0.20 ± 0.06% relative percentage, reported separately from vanillin's 75.80% — Yeh et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 1, Aldehydes, row 'methylvanillin')
  • alpha-bergamotenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 8 of 338 ingredients.cite
    0.49 ± 0.04% — the most abundant sesquiterpene in cured vanilla pods — Yeh et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 1, Sesquiterpenes, row 'α-bergamotene')
  • α-copaenearomaterpenoidMeasured in 18 of 338 ingredients.cite
    0.17 ± 0.03% relative percentage — Yeh et al. 2021, Molecules (Table 1, Sesquiterpenes, row 'α-copaene')

On file, no cited source yet ✳

These molecules are on record for it from the library's earlier sources. We are buying and requesting the papers; each one that lands moves its molecule up into the cited list.

  • fenchyl acetateterpenoid
  • hexadecaneacid
  • dotriacontaneacid
  • octadecaneacidreads as fuel-like (PubChem)
  • heptacosaneacid
  • butyl hexanoateester
  • tetradecaneacid
  • pentadecaneacid
  • 1-hexadeceneacid
  • heptadecaneacidreads as fuel-like (PubChem)
  • nonadecaneacidreads as fuel-like (PubChem)
  • heneicosaneacid
  • docosaneacid
  • pentacosaneacid
  • hexacosaneacid
  • octacosaneacid
  • nonacosaneacid
  • hentriacontaneacid
  • tritriacontaneacid
  • hexatriacontaneacid
  • pentatriacontaneacid
  • tricosaneacid
  • triacontaneacid
  • tetracosaneacid
  • avenasterolterpenoid
  • Stigmasten-22-olterpenoid
  • (3S,8S,9S,10R,13R,14S,17R)-17-((R,Z)-5-isopropylhept-5-en-2-yl)-10,13-dimethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17-tetradecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-olterpenoid
  • 4-hydroxybenzoic acidacid
  • 4-(Butoxymethyl)phenolether
  • 1-tetradeceneacidreads as mild, pleasant (PubChem)
  • 1-nonacoseneacid
  • (2R)-6-methyl-2-[(Z)-tricos-14-enyl]-2,3-dihydropyran-4-one
  • (2R)-2-[(Z)-henicos-12-enyl]-6-methyl-2,3-dihydropyran-4-one
  • (2R)-6-methyl-2-[(Z)-nonadec-10-enyl]-2,3-dihydropyran-4-one
  • amyl salicylateester
  • alpha-terpineolalcoholreads as floral, lilac (PubChem)
  • campesterolalcohol
  • hexyl butyrateester
  • pentadecane, 3-methyl-acid
  • 1-tricoseneacid
  • 1-eicoseneacid
  • beta-sitosterolalcohol
  • hexyl salicylateester
  • tetratriacontaneacid
  • coumarincoumarinreads as burning taste (PubChem)
  • 4-hydroxybenzoic acidphenol
  • 5-dehydro-avenasterolterpenoid
  • vanillolosidesugar
  • ferulic acidacid
  • 3-methyltritriacontaneacid
  • 3-methylhentriacontaneacid
  • 3-methyldocosaneacid
  • 3-methyltetracosaneacid
  • stigmasterolalcohol
  • brassicasterolalcohol
  • fucosterolalcohol
  • 5-ethylhexadecaneacid
  • 5-ethyloctadecaneacid
  • 1-heptacoseneacid
  • 1-pentacoseneacid
  • 1-hentriaconteneacid
  • 5-ethyltetradecaneacid
  • (E)-3-(4-hydroxy-2-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-enalphenol
  • 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acidacid
  • cholesterolalcohol
  • 2-Propenal, 3-(4-hydroxy-2-methoxyphenyl)-acid
  • anisyl formateester
  • vanillyl ethyl etherphenol
  • menthyl acetateterpenoid
  • vanillyl alcoholalcohol
  • 3-methylhexacosaneacid
  • 1-tritriaconteneacid
  • 5-ethylhentriacontaneacid
  • 5-ethylheptacosaneacid
  • 5-ethylnonacosaneacid
  • 5-ethylpentacosaneacid
  • 5-ethyltritriacontaneacid
  • bornyl acetateterpenoid
  • glucovanillinsugar
  • isoamyl salicylatephenol
  • 1-docoseneacid
  • p-anisic acidacid
  • phenethyl formateester
  • p-(methoxymethyl)phenolphenol
  • 2-Methoxy-4-(methoxymethyl)phenol
  • 1-octadeceneacid
  • icosaneacid
  • linalyl acetateterpenoidreads as bergamot-lavender odor (PubChem)
  • ethyl salicylateacid
  • vanillic acidacid
  • 1-dotriaconteneacid
  • 24-methylenecholesterolalcohol
  • 4-(Ethoxymethyl)phenolether
  • 3-methylheptadecaneacid
  • 3-methylnonadecaneacid
  • eicosane, 3-methyl-acid

Sources

  • Yeh et al. 2021, Molecules
  • Gu et al. 2015, Molecules
read it with something