Is vanilla ice cream your favourite flavour? Some people may find it too plain, but for others it's their go-to.
Either way, you might be wondering where vanilla flavouring comes from – especially if you've seen a certain TikTok video that went viral, featuring some shocking claims about the way it's sourced.
In a video posted to the platform by user Sloowmoee in April, you're asked to "record yourself before and after googling where does vanilla flavouring come from".
It ended up being one of the most googled questions in the UK in 2021 – and if you stumbled upon the video that's probably exactly how you found yourself on this article.
So where does vanilla flavouring come from – and does it have anything to do with beavers?
Where does vanilla flavouring come from?
Vanilla is the fruit of orchids in the genus Vanilla. They grow in a very small area in the world, with Madagascar producing 80%.
Vanilla is incredibly expensive due to the labour-intensive harvesting process that turns green vanilla pods into black beans.
Vanilla is the world's second most expensive spice – behind saffron.
The vast majority of vanilla is now synthetic, as it's a lot cheaper.
A synthetic version of vanillin, the organic compound found in vanilla beans, are often used to give vanilla extract its flavour.
Artificial vanillin is usually either made from guaiacol, an aromatic oil found in guaiacum or wood creosote, or lignin, which is found in bark.
What was the viral TikTok video about?
Those who searched the question: "Where does vanilla flavouring come from" last year will have seen an article from National Geographic from 2013 with the headline "Beaver butts emit goo used for vanilla flavouring".
The first line reads: "Just in time for holiday cookie season, we’ve discovered that the vanilla flavouring in your baked goods and candy could come from the anal excretions of beavers."
According to the article, which cites a 2007 study in the International Journal of Toxicology, "beaver butts secrete a goo called castoreum, which the animals use to mark their territory".
The brown slime-like substance has a musky, vanilla-like scent due to the beavers' diet which consists of bark and leaves.
The study suggests that manufacturers have been using it in food and perfume for "at least 80 years".
According to The US Food and Drug Administration, castoreum is an additive which is "generally regarded as safe".
The good news is that you have almost certainly never ingested it. It's not kosher, and it's difficult to obtain in sizeable quantities.
Although it's still used in some candles and perfume products, it's never used in food and drink.
