Together with IEH, Brooks Applied Labs conducted a study evaluating the authenticity of commercial vanilla products using bulk carbon isotope analysis (EA-IRMS) and compound-specific isotope analysis (GC-C-IRMS).
Natural vanillin derived from vanilla beans is one of the most valuable flavor compounds globally and is often subject to adulteration with synthetic or non–bean-derived vanillin. Fifteen products labeled as containing natural vanillin were analyzed in this study. Several samples showed isotopic values inconsistent with vanilla-bean origin.
These results highlight the role of isotope ratio mass spectrometry in detecting economically motivated adulteration and verifying authenticity within the food and flavor industries.
Read the full white paper for methodology and data: https://brooksapplied.com/resources/whitepapers/detection-of-vanillin-adulteration/.