Overview Vanillin is the first fragrance synthesized by humans. It was successfully synthesized in 1874 by Dr. M. Halman and Dr. G. Tyman of Germany. Usually divided into methyl vanillin and ethyl vanillin. Methyl vanillin (vanillin), chemical name 3-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, appears as white or slightly yellow crystals, has the aroma of vanillin and a rich milky aroma, and is the largest species in the spice industry. The main ingredient in everyone's favorite creamy vanilla flavor. Its uses are very wide, such as in the food, daily chemical, and tobacco industries as flavor raw materials, flavoring agents, or fixatives. It is mostly used in foods such as beverages, candies, pastries, biscuits, bread, and roasted seeds and nuts. There are currently no relevant reports that vanillin is harmful to the human body. Ethyl vanillin is white to slightly yellow needle-like crystals or crystalline powder, with an aroma similar to that of vanilla beans, and the aroma is stronger than that of methyl vanillin. It is a broad-spectrum spice and one of the most important synthetic spices in the world today. It is an indispensable and important raw material in the food additive industry. Its aroma is 3-4 times that of vanillin, and it has a rich vanilla bean aroma. And the fragrance lasts long. It is widely used in food, chocolate, ice cream, beverages and daily cosmetics to enhance and fix fragrance. In addition, ethyl vanillin can also be used as a feed additive, a brightener in the electroplating industry, and an intermediate in the pharmaceutical industry. Function and use Vanillin is one of the important edible spices and is a food flavoring agent. It has the aroma of vanilla beans and a rich milky aroma. It is an indispensable and important raw material in the food additive industry and is widely used in various needs. It can be used to add flavor to flavored foods such as cakes, cold drinks, chocolate, candies, biscuits, instant noodles, bread, tobacco, flavored alcoholic beverages, toothpaste, soap, perfume cosmetics, ice cream, beverages and daily cosmetics. and fixative effect. It can also be used in soaps, toothpastes, perfumes, rubber, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. Complies with FCCIV standards. Vanillin has a wide range of applications abroad. It is widely used in the production of pharmaceutical intermediates, plant growth promoters, fungicides, lubricant defoaming agents, electroplating brighteners, conductive agents in printed circuit board production, etc. Domestic vanillin is mainly used as a food additive. In recent years, its application in the pharmaceutical field has been continuously expanded, and it has become the most potential field for vanillin application. Current domestic vanillin consumption: the food industry accounts for 55%, pharmaceutical intermediates account for 30%, feed flavorings account for 10%, and cosmetics account for 5%. Domestic and foreign industry status my country is the world's largest exporter of vanillin. In 2002, domestic demand was 2,350 tons, accounting for 30% of production, and the remaining 70% was exported. In 1988, only 273 tons were exported, in 1993 it was 1,700 tons, and in 2002 it was 4,653 tons. From 1993 to 2002, the average annual growth rate of my country's vanillin export volume was 12%. Our country's vanillin enjoys a good reputation in markets in North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and other places. Vanillin has been produced in my country for more than 50 years. Among the original more than 10 production companies, most of the small companies' production equipment has been severely corroded. Coupled with environmental restrictions, they have lost production capacity. At present, there are three main vanillin production plants in China. Among them, Luohai (Zhejiang) Fine Chemical Co., Ltd. is a joint venture between the French company Rhodia and Zhejiang Snow Leopard Fine Chemical Co., Ltd. Its production capacity expanded from 1,000 tons to 1,500 tons in 2002, and it has built a vanillin raw material in Wuxi - —Guaiacol production base; Zhejiang Jiaxing Zhonghua Chemical Co., Ltd. is currently the largest vanillin manufacturer in China. It is a joint venture composed of the former Shanghai Jiahua Fine Chemical Company, Zhejiang Zhonghua Fine Chemical Group, and Shanghai Xinhua Fragrance Factory. Vanillin has an annual production capacity of 4,000 tons, and is currently building a new 2,000-ton/year production unit, which is expected to be put into operation in June this year. Jilin Chemical Group Company is an earlier vanillin manufacturer in China, with an annual production capacity of 1,500 tons. At present, there are three main vanillin manufacturers abroad: French Rhodia Company, Norwegian Bolish Company, and Japanese Ube Kosan. Among them, France's Rhodia is the world's largest vanillin manufacturer, with an annual production capacity of 8,000 tons, and its equipment is located in France and the United States.
Development trends of domestic vanillin industry: First of all, development efforts in the pharmaceutical field should be increased. With the rapid development of the domestic pharmaceutical intermediates industry, vanillin will still have large room for development in this field. About 45% of vanillin abroad is used to produce pharmaceutical intermediates, while domestic consumption in this field only accounts for 30%. There is still a certain gap compared with foreign countries. Therefore, the application of vanillin in the field of pharmaceutical intermediates should be actively explored. Secondly, it is necessary to speed up the upgrading of vanillin varieties.
Since the aroma of ethyl vanillin is 3 to 4 times that of methyl vanillin, it has become a development trend to replace methyl vanillin with ethyl vanillin in the food, feed and other industries when green food is advocated. Finally, increase efforts in the development of new processes. At present, the main production methods of vanillin include nitrosation method and glyoxylic acid method. The nitrification method has backward technology and serious pollution, and has been gradually eliminated abroad. Vanillin production in my country mainly uses the nitrosation method, and it is currently facing increasing environmental pressure. The glyoxylic acid method has stable operation, good product quality, and less "three wastes". It is the development direction of vanillin production technology. Domestic enterprises should actively cooperate with scientific research institutes to break through the bottleneck of the industrialization of the glyoxylic acid method as soon as possible and break the European and American competition. my country’s technological blockade. Standards for maximum allowable usage and maximum allowable residues of food additives.