Course Syllabus By Speakers/ Instructors
Vanilla Breeding and Micro-Propagation.
Dr. Chin, Dept. of Plant
Biology and Pathology, Rutgers University
Plant breeding can be used to develop vanilla hybrids that are of higher yields,
richer vanilla flavor contents, and more disease resistant. Seed germination is
a critical step in plant breeding. However, vanilla seeds lack mature endosperm
making them very difficult to germinate. Modern tissue culture protocol can be
used to overcome this obstacle and will therefore greatly facilitate vanilla
improvement.
The first part of the lecture will cover the basic principals and techniques of
vanilla breeding. The second part will cover tissue culture technology for high
frequency seed germination, as well as clonal micro-propagation of elite hybrids
with desirable attributes.
Vanilla and its Amazing Hairs.
Dr. French, Dept. of Plant
Biology and Pathology, Rutgers University
Students will first tour the intricacies and wonders of vanilla fruit
development with a slide show that tells the story of how and where vanillin is
made. Students will learn about the complex morphology and unique anatomy of
the vanilla fruit, which is unlike any other. Emphasis will be on the
remarkable array of glandular trichomes that are the site of vanillin synthesis.
The class will then conduct a laboratory study, in which each student works
with fresh materials and a microscope. Students will learn the art of making
hand sections of vanilla, and will examine them with a microscope, to discover
for themselves its remarkable anatomy and morphology. Students will have the
opportunity to examine microscopically a selection of fresh mature vanilla
fruits and thin-sectioned vanilla fruits at various stages of development.
Curing & Extractions of Vanilla Beans for Maximal Vanillin and flavor yield.
Dr. D. Havkin-Frenkel
Students will learn the basic principals of curing, how it’s done in many different countries, its origin, and how this process can be improved. We will discuss the role of “killing”, sweating, drying, and conditioning. We will survey and evaluate curing protocols in various geographic regions. We also evaluate factors contributing to different flavor profiles by various practices. Students, in small groups, will cure green beans and then extract them for flavor analysis.
The academic part of the extraction theory will be explained using different extraction methods that yield different products, such as vanilla oleoresin, vanilla extract, vanilla powder, and vanilla absolute. Attention will be given on the details of improving the process for maximum vanillin and flavor component. Analytical measurements of the results will be discussed in detail. The students will be divided into groups, and each group will perform a different type of curing using green beans obtained for the class. The groups
Sensory Evaluation and Consumer Product Testing.
Beth A. Prevost Q Research Solutions, Inc.
What happens after the Growers and Brokers have selected their beans and the Quality Control people have approved extracts and other Vanilla compounds for Perfumers and Flavorists to work their magic?
The final steps in producing Consumer acceptable products involve Sensory Evaluation and various Consumer Product Testing techniques.
This session will give an outline of the various steps Flavor and Fragrance Houses use to arrive at viable prototypes, the initial Consumer Screening Tests, as well as Consumer Product Taste Testing.
Vanillin Biosynthesis
Faith C. Belanger, Dept. of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers University.
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Vanillin is the principal flavor component in vanilla extract. During pod
development the flavorless compound glucovanillin is synthesized in the inner
core of the pod. During the curing process glucovanillin is hydrolyzed by beta-glucosidase
releasing vanillin. Despite its commercial importance, the biosynthetic pathway
for vanillin is still under investigation. Knowledge of the biosynthetic pathway
and the genes involved would be useful in designing new strategies for
production of natural vanillin from other sources. We are currently working on
cloning some of the vanillin biosynthetic genes. In the biosynthetic pathways of
secondary compounds such as vanillin, multiple enzymatic steps are generally
involved, each modifying one structural feature of the molecule. We will discuss
the current state of knowledge regarding the vanillin biosynthetic pathway and
the general approaches used to identify the genes involved. We will also
demonstrate the differences in flavor characteristics of the vanillin precursor
molecules that result from the single chemical modifications at each step