Comparative analysis of volatiles in traditionally cured Bourbon and Ugandan vanilla bean ( Vanilla planifolia ) extracts

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.