Oleoresin

What is vanilla oleoresin?

Vanilla oleoresin is a concentrated form of natural vanilla: beans are extracted with a solvent, then the solvent is evaporated until a dark, viscous concentrate remains.

Vanilla Fair's premium Vanilla Oleoresin is obtained by solvent extraction of Bourbon Madagascar vanilla beans, after which the solvent is removed: a dark, viscous, oil-soluble and alcohol-free concentrate with a strong natural vanilla taste, for industrial flavourings, fragrances and cosmetics.

Which solvents are used?

The conventional route percolates beans with aqueous ethanol (30 to 40% vol.) for 48 to 72 hours, then concentrates the extract under vacuum, with temperature under control to avoid degrading the oleoresin¹. Supercritical carbon dioxide is increasingly used because it avoids alcohol residues²; published trials run it at 20 MPa and 40 to 60 °C³.

In the EU, ethanol, carbon dioxide, acetone, ethyl acetate, propane, butane and nitrous oxide are authorised for all food uses under good manufacturing practice: only technically unavoidable residues, harmless to health. Other solvents carry caps, such as 1 mg/kg of hexane in the final food⁴. In the US, spice oleoresins may carry at most 30 ppm of acetone, 25 ppm of hexane or 50 ppm of isopropyl alcohol⁵.

What do 20x, 30x and 40x mean?

Our oleoresin sheet lists 20x, 30x and 40x. In US law, "fold" is defined for vanilla extracts, flavorings and powder: one fold is the extractive matter of 13.35 oz of beans at 25% moisture or less per US gallon, about 100 g of beans per litre⁶. For oleoresins the "x" is a trade convention, not a legal definition, so ask how it is calculated and which vanillin level each grade guarantees. Fold alone does not predict dose: a US flavour house gives the same 0.05 to 0.10% starting level for its 10-fold extract and its 20-fold oleoresin⁷.

Our sugar-based vanilla extracts are specified in g/L: 100, 200 and 400 g/L, with or without seeds, plus an organic 200 g/L. French pastry suppliers state strength the same way: one gives 200 g of Bourbon pods per litre⁸, another sells sugar-based L200 and L400 extracts⁹. Ask us how each of our strengths is defined.

Applications and dosage

Our sheet gives, for the oleoresin range: ice cream base 0.05 to 0.1%, bakery 0.03 to 0.08%, beverages 0.02 to 0.05%, confectionery 0.04 to 0.09%. Validate them in your matrix, then size your needs with the formulation simulator.

Regulatory status

In the EU, an oleoresin extracted from cured beans with an authorised solvent is a flavouring preparation made from food, which needs no Union-list approval; "natural vanilla flavouring" requires at least 95% of the flavouring component from vanilla¹⁰. In the US, a spice oleoresin is a natural flavor¹¹, and an extract diluted from it must say "Made from" or "Made in part from" vanilla oleoresin¹². See our guide to natural vanilla flavouring labelling, EU vs US.

Storage and ordering

Vanillin is unstable with oxygen, light and humidity²: keep the oleoresin closed, away from light, at +12 °C to +19 °C, for 12 to 24 months. Oleoresin and extracts come in bottles of 1 L, 2 L and 10 L, or drums for bulk orders. Quantities are limited: request a quotation and samples early.