Where Does Vanilla Flavoring Really Come From?

quick Summary

• Claim on beaver secretions in food: Contrary to popular belief, castoreum, a secretion from beaver castor sacs, rarely appears in modern grocery items and is not used as vanilla flavoring.
• Vanilla production: Global vanilla extract production in 2020 totaled about 16 million pounds, derived predominantly from vanilla orchids.
• Usage of castoreum: It is primarily found in niche items (e.g., Swedish liquor) with the U.S. consuming less than 292 pounds annually across all kinds of castoreum products.
• Historical usage: Castoreum has been utilized for medicinal purposes for over 2,000 years due to its diverse chemical composition.
• Beaver population impact: High demand for castoreum and the fur trade nearly led to extinction of North American and Eurasian beavers by the 19th century; conservation efforts are aiding recovery today.
• Territorial behavior: Beavers use scent markers with castoreum to define territories within their habitat.
• safety classification: According to FDA regulations,castoreum is deemed “generally regarded as safe” for consumption.

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