New enzyme to allay vanilla shortage fears

An enzyme designed to mitigate the current supply shortage of vanilla by helping to extract the maximum amount from each production run has been made available from Biocatalysts.

Depol 40L allows more vanillin to be produced with minimum waste, making the limited quantities extend as far as possible.

Users of the enzyme can expect a two to four-fold increase in yield when compared with the natural curing process, Biocatalysts says.

Wide pH

The product is active over a wide pH and temperature spectrum, making its incorporation into most existing processes possible, the company adds.

A technical bulletin on the use of enzymes in vanilla extraction is available at the Biocatalysts website.