654 



Vanilla . 



cc 



Native of Mexico. Cultivated in Seychelles, Mauritius, 

 Reunion and other French Colonies, Taliiti, Fiji, British West 



Indies and West Africa. 



Vanilla is well known for its use in confectionery as a 

 flavouring agent. At the end of the 17th cent, it was imported 

 into France through Sf)ain, used for flavouring chocolate and 

 scenting tobacco (Bot. Mag. I.e.) and it formerly had a place in 

 the British Pharmacopoeia. 



Vanillons " — wild or uncultivated — are collected in Guade- 

 loupe, Martinique, Mexico, &c., and imported chiefly for use 

 among tobacco manufacturers and perfumers, for the manufacture 

 of sachet powders (Kew Bull. 1892, p. 214). 



The chief commercial sources are Seychelles, Mauritius, 

 Reunion, Bourbon, Comoro Islands, Madagascar, Fiji, Java, 

 Ceylon, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Tahiti; the total 

 production of these countries amounting in 1910 to 575 tons 

 (Trop. Agric. xxxvii. July 1911, pp. 37-38), in which year 

 Seychelles " good long " reahsed 145. per lb., Ceylon " fair to 

 good medium " 13s. 6t?. ; " common spUt-short " 9s. 9f7., and 

 "inferior quahties " 8s. M.-lls. per lb. on the London market 

 (Agric. News, Barbados, Sept. 17th, 1910, p. 295). 



The prices ruUng for Reunion in 1912 averaged for all quahties, 

 33 fr. 50 c. (£1 6s.) per kilo (2-2 lb.) (Chem. & Druggist, July 19th, 

 1913, p. 96); and at the present time (1920) for Seychelles 

 fair to good firsts, 7-8 in. 13s. %d.~l5s.; 6-7 in. lis. 6fZ.-13s. ; 

 3^-6 in. 105.-12S.; for firsts, leanish, 3|-6 in. 9s. U.; foxy, 

 5-6 in. 95. M.; good to fine split, 9s.-12s.; and brown and 



VaniUin 



spHt. 8s.-9s. M. per lb. (I.e. April 3rd, 1920, p. 466) : 

 the same time was 80s. per lb. (I.e.). 



The Mexican vanilla is the finest ; it formerly went largely to 

 S'rance, but later more to the United States (New York) market 

 (U.S. Cons. Rep. Sept. 1891, p. 127 : Kew Bull. 1892,p. 212). 



Vanillin— the aromatic constituent of Vanilla— is produced 

 artificially on a commercial scale, made largely from eugenol 



from 



material. It has also 



been obtained from sugar (Agric. News, Barbados, 1904, p.^ 103). 

 Two samples of clove oil and three of clove leaf oil from Mauritius 

 were found to be of good quahty and to contain a high percentage 

 of eugenol that would find a ready sale (1914) in Europe for the 

 preparation of Vanilfin (Col. Rep. Ann. No. 882, 1916, p. 22). 

 About 75 grams of artificial VanilUn replace 1000 grams of good 

 Vanilla (Perf. & Ess. Oil Rec. Sept. 23rd 1919, p. 247) and 

 when it first appeared on the market (1876) the price was £160 

 per lb., reducing year by year until in 1906 it was at I85. per lb. 

 (see Parry, Chem. Ess. Oils & Art. Perf. p. 473) ; in the same 

 'year Vanilla, Seychelles "good firsts" (7-^ to 8 in. long) sold 

 at 10s. M. to 13s. p.sr lb. (Chem. & Druggist, Nov. 17th, 1906, 

 p. 765) : in the present year (1919) it is quoted at 80s. per lb. 

 (I.e. Nov. 15th, 1919, p. 72). Although this product does not. 



