Coffees, Teas & Aromatics
Vanilla Bean in gelato
Vanilla Bean is the whole cured pod of the orchid Vanilla planifolia, prized for aromatic vanillin and its speckled seeds. In gelato it is a flavoring used in trace amounts, contributing aroma and visible black specks rather than meaningful solids or sugar.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 71.76% |
| Water | 28.24% |
| Sugars | 12.7% |
| Fat | 6.5% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 4% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 16.5 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 24.1 |
Typical use: ~0.1-0.5% of the mix (roughly 1-3 pods, about 3-9 g, per liter of base)
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Use the pod for the cleanest, most authentic vanilla character and the visible seed specks that signal a premium fior-di-panna or vanilla base. Scrape the seeds and infuse the split pod in the warm mix, then strain. Because it is dosed at only about 0.1-0.5% of recipe mass, its effect on PAC, POD and texture is negligible even though its own sugars (glucose/fructose) carry a high per-gram PAC of about 190. Treat it as an aromatic, not as a functional sugar or fat source, and do not rebalance the mix around it. For higher sugar loads or convenience, vanilla bean paste (a sugar-syrup carrier) or ethanol-based extract behave differently and add measurable PAC.
Origin & background
Vanilla is the fruit of Vanilla planifolia, an orchid native to Mexico and the only orchid grown for an edible crop. Its signature aroma is not present at harvest: cured beans develop vanillin (up to roughly 2% by dry weight) from the flavorless glucoside glucovanillin through enzymatic curing, during which sucrose is also hydrolyzed to glucose and fructose. Madagascar (Bourbon) vanilla dominates world production.