A Brief Overview of Chemical and Biological Synthesis of Vanillin Flavor

Vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde) is the primary component of the extract of vanilla bean that has been widely used as flavoring agent in food,beverages,cosmetics,and medicine.The chemical methods used in industrial production of vanillin are not environmentally friendly.The biotechnological methods have been developed as green alternative to reduce the use of hazardous compounds and harsh reaction conditions in the production of vanillin.The commercial production of bio-vanillin is finding its way to move from lab to market.The production of vanillin by both chemical and biotechnological methods including plant tissue culture,microbial biotransformation,and molecular biology approaches are discussed.