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Vanilla is a perennial vine that grows climbing up plants, trees and branches. The name vanilla has been derived from two Spanish words, ‘Vaina’ meaning pod and ‘Illa’ meaning small: A vine yielding small pods.

Vanilla planifolia Aanrews formerly known as Vanilla fragrans Salisb. Ames, Vanilla tahitensis J.W.Moore and Vanilla pompona Schiede. Vanilla planifolia yields vanillin which is creamy, sweet, smooth and spicy. It has rich tobacco like woody deep balsamic and sweet flavour.
Of the three spicies, Vanilla planifolia is the most popular. It is widely cultivated as a commercial crop. Vanilla planifolia is grown in Mexico, Madagascar, Indonesia, Comoro islands, Seychelles and Reunion, while Tahitian vanilla is grown in Tahiti, French Polynesia and Hawali.

Vanilla planifolia is grown commercially in India. It has significant demand in international market. Its stem is soft and green.he beans of Vanilla planifolia are long and have deep fragrance.
 

Vanilla Vine:

Vanilla planifolia is a fleshy perennial vine that can grow to a height of 10 to 15 meters, climbing up trees or other supports with the help of aerial adventitious roots. However, commercial crop is not allowed to grow tall and is trained at a height of 5 feet to facilitate pollination and harvesting.

Vanilla Beans :

The fruits are capsules known as beans in the trade. They are pendulous, cylindrical, obscurely three angled, 12-25 cm long and 10-20 mm in girth. The beans will be light green in colour and should be harvested when they turn to light yellow color.

Vanillin:
The substance chiefly responsible for the unique fragrance and flavour of the vanilla been is vanillian (C8 H8 O8). Vanillin is obtained primarily from the fully grown but un-ripened fruits or ‘beens’ of vanilla that have been subjected to fermentation – curing process to produce the characteristic aroma.
The processed beens contain about 2 to 3 percent vanillian depending on the place where the crop grows. Indian vanilla beans contain about 2.2 to 2.4 percent vanillin while in Java the vanillin content in beans in highest at 2.7 percent.
 

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