Vanilla planifolia (right photo) is the only orchid used for industrial purposes (in the food industry and in the cosmetic industry).

Vanilla is a genus of about 110 species in the orchid family, including the species Vanilla planifolia from which commercial vanilla flavoring is derived.

The name came from the Spanish word “vainilla”, diminutive form of “vaina” (meaning “sheath”), which is in turn derived from Latin “vagina”.

This evergreen genus occurs worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions, from tropical America to tropical Asia, New Guinea and West Africa.

The fruit (vanilla bean) is an elongate, fleshy seed pod. It ripens gradually (8 to 9 months after flowering), eventually turning black in color and giving off a strong aroma. Each pod contains thousands of tiny black seeds, but it is the pod that is used to create vanilla flavoring.

{ Wikipedia }

A one-hour heating and pressuring process allows cow feces to produce vanillin, the main component of the vanilla-bean extract, according to Japanese researcher Mayu Yamamoto. The vanillin extracted from the feces could be used in products such as shampoo and aromatic candles but not in food, said Yamamoto, who works for the Research Institute of the state-run International Medical Center of Japan.

Compared with usual vanilla, “this component is exactly the same but it would be difficult for people to accept it in food, given the recent rules of disclosing the origins of ingredients,” she said. The production cost using dung is less than a half of making vanillin out of vanilla beans, she added.

The research has been done in cooperation with major Japanese chemicals firm Sekisui Chemical. The research team aims to develop a machine to handle several tons of feces a day and put it in practical use in two-to-three years.

{ Terradaily/AFP }

related { Vanilla Ice Cream that puzzled General Motors }

A rare ghost orchid has been found growing high in an old cypress tree in a southwest Florida nature preserve.

The endangered flower made famous in the nonfiction book “The Orchid Thief” and the fictional movie spin-off “Adaptation” is about 45 feet off the ground in a tree at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples.

Two visitors looking for owls on Saturday spotted it about 150 feet from the sanctuary’s boardwalk. It can be seen only with binoculars and good lighting.

The orchid, which blooms for about two weeks, has nine flowers, triple the usual number. It is not clear how long this ghost orchid has been blooming.

{ MSNBC | Continue reading }