When the Aztecs conquered the Totonacs in the 15th century, they brought vanilla. Vanilla is native to South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean, and the Totonacs of Mexico's east coast appear to have been the first to cultivate it. Vanilla is a member of the orchid family, which includes over 25,000 different species( NationalGeographhic). The majority of commercially available vanilla comes from Mexico, Madagascar, and Tahiti. Vanilla planifolia and Vanilla tahitensis are the two plants whose seed pods are used in vanilla extract. Thus, because of all these limitations, true vanilla is extracted from the seeds of a specific orchid in the Vanilla genus. Since it is so unpleasant for both parties, castoreum consumption is quite low, only about 292 pounds (132 kilograms) per year.Īccording to Fenaroli's Handbook of Flavor Ingredients, this figure includes castoreum, castoreum extract, and castoreum liquid. Those in charge of producing the final product do not venture into mass production and only use Castoreum in a few candles and perfume products.įurthermore, Crawford explained, "You can milk the anal glands to extract the fluid." "You can squirt out. Since Castoreum is difficult to produce, particularly for food processing, and cannot be produced in large quantities at once. It is not technically possible to exact that large amount of vanilla flavor from It. Though the secretion of Beaver does have an essence of Vanilla. Crawford explained that this chemical compound is a byproduct of the beaver's unique diet of leaves and bark.Ĭastoreum has a musky, vanilla scent rather than an icky odor, which is why food scientists like to use it in recipes. While most anal secretions stink due to odor-producing bacteria in the gut. Joanne Crawford, a wildlife ecologist at Southern Illinois University, described the fragrant, brown slime as having the consistency of molasses but not quite as thick. It is frequently a combination of castor gland secretions, anal gland secretions, and urine due to its proximity to the anal glands.Ĭastoreum extract is considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by both the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And that Castoreum is the chemical that gives the pleasing smell of Vanilla.Ĭastoreum is a chemical compound derived primarily from the castor sacs of beavers located between the pelvis and the base of the tail. You probably don't expect beavers to be involved when you google "where does vanilla flavoring come from." But according to an article on National Geographic, Vanilla flavoring comes from Beaver's Goo produced in their butt.īeaver butts secrete castoreum in their goo that the animals use to mark their territory.
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