Breakthrough fermentation technology, Taiwan vanilla pods more fragrant than the world! Expert: Be cautious when investing in vanilla market

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Vanilla, known as the "spice queen", is widely used in the global market, such as Vanilla Ice Cream and desserts. Since 2015, American food companies have announced that they will gradually ban artificial spices and pigments, and the global demand for vanilla continues to rise. The wholesale price of vanilla pods in the international market is as high as US $300,600 per kilogram. The price of vanilla pods sold in the market is even "root", each about 2 ─ 3g, asking price NT $150,000,000.

Vanilla was introduced into Taiwan for more than a decade, and the processing technology continues to improve. This year, Taoyuan Agricultural Reform Farm (hereinafter referred to as "Taoyuan") developed a fermentation machine, which can increase the vanillin content of vanilla pods by up to 3.5%, which is higher than the global average, and the aroma is stronger. Vanilla business opportunities have attracted the attention of many farmers. Peach market change and domestic vanilla manufacturers remind that because vanilla has a high initial input cost and can only be mass-produced and recovered five years later, farmers should first make a market evaluation before putting in, and do not invest rashly because of the high end price.

Vanilla finished product (photo source _ Liu Sunqi) Vanilla, such as making tea, the operation is complicated after harvest

The largest producing area of vanilla in the world is Madagascar, and other producing areas are Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Bali and so on. The common varieties of vanilla are Bourbon and Tahiti, of which the city accounts for 80%. The introduction of vanilla cultivation in Taiwan is also dominated by bourbon. Taiwan currently has a planting area of about 15 hectares and an annual output of about one metric ton.

Bourbon vanilla, also known as Mexican vanilla, is a half-sunny plant. Taiwan is mostly planted in a sheltered net room, which is planted for about 4 ─ 5 years before mass production. It blossoms from April to June each year, requires artificial pollination, and waits for eight months for vanilla pods to mature. The harvest begins in February of the next year, and the vanilla pods can be used only after 5-6 months of cyanidation, fermentation, drying and ripening.

Indoor vanilla pods (photo source _ Liu Sunqi)

Kill Jing (photo source _ Liu Sunqi) after ripening catalysis, show rich and sweet

The key to the quality of vanilla pods depends on the processing procedure after harvest. Wash 1-2 days after harvest, then put hot water at 65 degrees Celsius for 3 minutes to kill cyanine, in order to soften the peel and activate enzymes. While the vanilla pods are still warm after killing, immediately put them in a sealed wooden box for 24 hours to begin fermentation, then take out the vanilla pods and start to sun for 10-14 days, then wrap them in black cloth for 2-4 hours a day to maintain the temperature.

After the pod changes from green to black and loses part of its moisture, most of the aroma components have been produced, moved to a ventilated place for drying, grading, shaping, and finally cooked in a wooden box. After 4-6 months of ripening catalysis, there will be a richer sweet flavor, the main aroma components in addition to vanillin, there are more than 200 kinds of aroma components, in addition to aroma, the quality of vanilla pods must also depend on appearance color, integrity, plumpness, water content and aroma tone.

Outdoor exposure (photo source _ Liu Sunqi) to improve the fermentation process, 50-100 kg at a time

Ye Zhixin, associate researcher of crop improvement course in Taoyuan Agricultural Reform Farm, said that the processing technology of vanilla pods in Taiwan has been studied for about 6 years, because the time for harvesting vanilla pods in Taiwan is winter, but low temperature and rain can not be used for sun fermentation. Vanilla pods are easy to mildew and dry too fast and lose their flavor. In order to do a good job in moisture and humidity control of the processing process, this fermentation machine can stabilize temperature, ventilation control and preserve vanillin content. Stabilize the fermentation quality, and ensure the clean processing environment and improve the quality.

This fermentation machine can handle 50-100kg vanilla pods at a time, shortening the fermentation time from 10-14 days to 7-8 days, and homogenizing the vanillin content of each vanilla pod, which can be as high as 3.5%, which is much higher than the global average vanillin content of 1.6 ─ 2.4%. Not only the aroma is stronger, but also more stable than the sun-drying aroma.

Ye Zhixin estimates that based on the output of about 300 kilograms per sub-plot, at least 2 machines are needed for each sub-plot.

Peach field to provide lattice garden seedlings: vanilla planted under the photoelectric board, there is no shortage of work in a cool environment.

The "Geyuan Seedling", which was subsidized by the Angel Entrepreneurship Fund of the National Development Fund of the Executive Yuan, led the establishment of vanilla production cooperatives, which is currently the largest vanilla planting area in China, with an area of 5 hectares, and has also cooperated with Taoyuan Agricultural Reform Farm in technology transfer.

Lin Tung-jung, Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Tropical Agriculture at Ping University of Science and Technology and also director general of the cooperative, originally used only tissue culture to propagate 100-200 vanilla plants. Last year, large-scale cultivation began due to the fate of the society, and mass production will only begin next year, with an estimated output of close to two tons.

At least tens of millions of dollars have been invested in planting bourbon facilities. Lin Tung-jung says that it is not difficult to apply the existing orchid planting techniques in China to vanilla, but it is not difficult for vanilla to be pollinated artificially, even if they are new craftsmen. They can also be learned within two hours. in addition, vanilla is planted in a shaded and temperature-controlled room, the working environment is cool, and there is no shortage of labor.

Planting

As for this fermentation machine, Lin Tongrong believes that it can make the quality of vanilla pods average and stable, and will make a technical transformation with Taoyuan Agricultural Reform Farm to prepare for next year's processing. The net room for planting vanilla has another configuration space for seedlings, and the roof is equipped with photovoltaic panels with a coverage rate of 40%, maximizing space utilization and saving most of the facility costs, as well as anti-strong wind facilities.

Over the past three years, the planting area of vanilla in China has increased. Lin Tongrong says that planting is not difficult, and if the subsequent processing and channels are not well integrated, they dare not rashly enter the industry. He predicts that the domestic market will soon reach saturation in the future, and must develop for export. In order to compete with large foreign producing areas, the first thing is to improve the quality. He said that in the future, the processing equipment of cooperatives will also obtain HACCP certification.

Vanilla knights: self-produced for their own use, flavor is more important than vanillin content

Vanilla Knight, located in Nantou Puli, is a dessert shop founded in 2015, which grows vanilla and uses vanilla in dessert. Chef Wei Zhenglin is committed to growing Taiwan's top vanilla through technical transformation with Taoyuan agricultural reform farm.

Wei Zhenglin explained that the planting area is 2 points of land, and the acreage of the country's surname is 2 A, following organic farming methods, but in order to avoid an increase in costs, no organic verification has been applied for. The vanilla produced is not only for self-use, sold in stores and on the Internet, but also cooperates with road operators.

The current processing method of vanilla pods produced by vanilla knights is modeled on Madagascar treatment mode, sun-dried staggered fermentation, and has tried processing at different temperatures and hours of sunshine. After the experiment, it is found that the flavor of standard processing parameters is still the best.