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#1
09-03-2002, 05:54 PM
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 Mexican Vanilla Beans Recently I’ve seen Mexican vanilla beans in town. I’d like to try them but heard so many horror stories about it,mostly that they contain coumadin (sp?). Is there any truth to this? Thanks!
__________________ When I get a little money, I buy books. And if there is any left over, I buy food. - Desiderius Erasmus  |
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#3
09-12-2002, 02:34 PM
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| I'm quite sure I read it somewhere, no idea where though. Now I am curious, why do you ask?
__________________ When I get a little money, I buy books. And if there is any left over, I buy food. - Desiderius Erasmus Last edited by Isa; 09-12-2002 at 03:04 PM. |
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#5
09-13-2002, 04:35 AM
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 This may or may not clear things up a bit. Vanilla Beans So basicaly it says it may or may not have a toxin present. Personally I like Tahitian Beans.  Bye, Jon |
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#6
09-13-2002, 04:39 AM
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| Did more digging and it's because of lack of government regulations, as is the problem with certain fish. If you have a reputable source for the beans then I wouldn't worry too much. Bye again, Jon |
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#7
09-13-2002, 05:58 AM
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| Mexican Vanilla I have heard and always wondered about Mexican vanilla, as well, so I did some exploring on the subject. Three items I found on various websites seem to capture the essence of the issue, and are copied below. It seems to be a matter of lack of labeling and regulation in Mexico; it's a problem of an additive (coumarin) that is banned in the United States because it is considered potentially toxic; and it's avoided if you buy from reputable sources. Hope this stuff isn't too long: 1. Vacationing friends are always trying to give me a "gift" bottle of pure Mexican vanilla extract that they've purchased in a Tijuana pharmacy. I've heard that the Mexicans have a toxin in their vanilla that damages the liver. Are my "friends" out to get me? --Fred Rowley, Santa Clara, Utah Cecil replies: Could be, but I'm having a tough time imagining the scenario. "Fred, you son of a *****, you crossed me for the last time! Myrtle, hand me the Mexican vanilla." But you heard right about toxins. Vanilla fragrans, as genuine vanilla is known, is native to Mexico, and well into the 19th century makers of high-quality Mexican vanilla had a lock on the business. But competitors elsewhere in the world began stealing market share, and in the 1880s the first synthetic vanilla was developed in Germany. During the Mexican Revolution of 1910-'20 fighting devastated the gulf coast, the center of Mexican vanilla cultivation, and production dropped sharply. Faced with a flood of cheap ersatz product and little of the genuine article to sell, Mexican producers began making synthetic vanilla themselves. But Mexico was still known as the home of the world's best vanilla, so the producers didn't admit what they were doing. They disguised the artificial taste by adding coumarin, an extract of the tonka bean, Dipteryx odorata. Coumarin tastes and smells just like vanilla, only more so. One whiff and your rube tourist from Utah is likely to say, "Whoa, that's good!" No, that's bad. Coumarin has been shown to cause liver damage in lab animals. The Food and Drug Administration restricted it starting in 1940 and banned it outright from all foods and food additives sold in the U.S. in 1954. Many other countries have done likewise. Coumarin has its uses. A derivative called dicumarol is used as an anticoagulant (blood thinner). Under the trade name warfarin it's used to poison rats by causing internal bleeding. The 1983 article in FDA Consumer I'm getting this from says "there has been no indication that coumarin itself produces this blood-thinning effect in humans." I'm not so sure. Another FDA Consumer article about the dangers of herbal tea told of a young woman who drank large amounts of a home-brew tea containing coumarin and suffered abnormal menstrual bleeding. So yes, I'd say toxic. On the plus side, it's very reasonably priced. You can get a quart for only a few bucks. Most of the vanilla sold in Mexico is synthetic, though it doesn't all have coumarin in it. Telltale signs of the fake stuff: clear, or dark and murky (the real stuff is amber colored and translucent), low alcohol content (genuine vanilla extract contains at least 35% ethyl alcohol), laughably low price. Pure Mexican vanilla is available, but you're better off getting it in this country. Warning: it won't be cheap. 2. (From the Food & Drug Administration website) IA #28-07, REVISED 1/30/98 - IMPORT ALERT #28-07, "DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF COUMARIN IN VANILLA PRODUCTS EXTRACTS - FLAVORINGS - IMITATIONS)", ATTACHMENT REVISED 08/08/02 Note: this import alert is being revised to reflect current alert format and add an attachment for firm(s)/product(s) identified for detention without physical examination. TYPE OF ALERT: Detention without physical examination (Note: This import alert represents the Agency's current guidance to FDA field personnel regarding the manufacturer(s) and/or product at issue. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person, and does not operate to bind FDA or the public.) PRODUCT : Vanilla Product(s) (Extracts - Flavorings - Imitations) PRODUCT CODE : As identified on the attachment to the alert PROBLEM : Coumarin contamination - poisonous or deleterious substance - (OASIS charge code = coumarin) COUNTRY : All MANUFACTURER/ SHIPPER : As identified on the attachment to the alert CHARGE : "The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to Section 801(a)(3) in that it appears to bear or contain (Coumarin), a poisonous or deleterious substance, which may render it injurious to health [Adulteration, Section 402(a)(1)]." (OASIS charge code = Coumarin) RECOMMENDING OFFICE : DIOP, HFC-172 REASON FOR ALERT : Coumarin in Mexican Vanilla has been a recurring problem for quite sometime. Coumarin has been prohibited in food in the U.S. since 1940 (See CFR Part 189.130), (189.130(b) Food containing any added coumarin as such or as a constituent of tonka beans or tonka extract is deemed to be adulterated under the act). A talk paper T84-17, 3/8/84, and October, 1993, article "Mexican Coumarin No Bargain" in the FDA Consumer have been written regarding this problem. These products are often labeled in Spanish "Extracto de vanilla" or "Vainilla". An attachment to this alert will be updated, as needed, listing manufacturer(s) and product(s) which are found to contain coumarin. GUIDANCE : Districts may detain without physical examination all vanilla product(s) from the identified manufacturer(s) on the attachment to this import alert. For questions or issues concerning science, science policy, sample collection, analysis, preparation, or analytical methodology, contact the Division of Field Science at (301) 443-3320 or 3007. PRIORITIZATION GUIDANCE : I FOI : No purging required. KEYWORDS : Coumarin, Vanilla, Tonka Beans, Tonka Extract PREPARED BY : George N. Butler, HFC-172, DIOP, 301-443-6553 DATE LOADED INTO FIARS : January 30, 1998 Attachment to Import Alert 28-07 - 08/08/02 Manufacturers subject to "DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF COUMARIN IN VANILLA PRODUCTS (EXTRACT - FLAVORINGS - IMITATIONS)" FIRM: PRODUCT/CODE Centro Dominicano de Promocion Vanilla Extract/28C--51 Plaza de la Independcia Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic FEI# 1000290693 Industrias Alimenticias - Vanilla flavoring Dona Tina 28C[][]51 Las Brisas Casa No. H-149 01/12/00 Managua, Nicaragua FEI# 3002901227 Juan Miguel Anazaldula Vanilla Extract - Danncy Pure Gutierrez Vanilla Brand/28C[][]51 Juarez No. 1101-A 7/14/98 Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas Mexico FEI #3001655129 Julio A. Nunez - Vanilla extract ESI/Almacaribe, Inc. 28C[][]51 Calle Proyecto No. 10 5/16/00 Urb. Moises Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic FEI# 3002691881 P.A. Benjamin Manufacturing Co.,Ltd. Artificial Vanilla 95-97 East Street Flavoring Kingston, Jamaica 45L[][]99 FEI #7917 9/15/98 Panamericana de Occidente Vanilla Extract/28C--51 S.A. de C.V. 1/30/98 Calle 14 No. 2481 Zona Industrial C.P. 44940 Gaudalajara, Jal Mexico FEI# 3001350100 Serrana Agroindustrial Vanilla Extract Juan de Morfa # 93 28C- - 51 Santo Domingo, DO 5/14/02 FEI # 3003154904 Xiame S.A. de C.V. Vanilla Extract Agustin Olachea No. 151 28C- - 51 Col. Adolfo Lopez Mateos 8/8/02 Deleg. Venustiano Carranza Mexico, D.F., Mexico CP 15670 FEI #3003687015 3.MEXICAN VANILLA (from Ohio State U. site) Is Mexican vanilla still a concern? The question was asked by an Extension Specialist on the Internet, recently. Has the "coumarin-contamination" threat been eliminated? Bill Evers, Specialist at Purdue, replied. "Mexican vanilla, is a substance made from the tonka bean. It is not really vanilla. It is not adulterated with or substituted with coumarin. Rather, the tonka bean contains coumarin and that has always been the concern, related to blood clotting. If it is vanilla produced in Mexico then it should be the same as vanilla everywhere, assuming proper quality controls." (LCM) |
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#10
09-15-2002, 01:36 PM
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| Thank you so much for all the information guys. So it's true? How scary, but why do they let the Mexican import their vanilla??? Do the beans also contain coumarin or is it only in the extract? P.S. I love Tahitian vanilla bean too but at 9$ a bean they are a bit pricey for every day use....
__________________ When I get a little money, I buy books. And if there is any left over, I buy food. - Desiderius Erasmus |
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#11
09-16-2002, 05:34 AM
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As to why the authorities allow vanilla containing coumarin into the US, they don't. That was the point of the FDA item I found on the FDA website. But they can't test everything that comes across the border commercially, and they can't stop people from bringing bottles home for their friends. |
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#13
09-16-2002, 09:22 PM
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#15
12-30-2002, 07:41 PM
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I'm out to make my own extract. Anyone ever try this? I came across the recipe from Bo Friberg and it seems too easy and inexpensive to be true. |
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