The Embrapa Genetic Bank, 1 of the 5 largest repositories of the genre in the world, wins its first collection of one of the most coveted species in gastronomy: vanilla. More than 70 samples of orchids of the genus vanilla make up the 1st vanilla germplasm bank in Brazil and the only one in the world to gather a significant volume of species from South America.
The collection will allow important benefits such as supporting genetic improvement by providing genes of agronomic interest; subsidize the domestication of vanilla in Brazil, whose production is still extractive; and even help in the preservation of their species.
Despite its importance, mainly for the gastronomic market, vanilla is found in few germplasm collections in the world. The most prominent are those of the Cirad (Center for International Cooperation in Agronomic Research for Development), a French institution that maintains 200 accessions of 30 species on Réunion Island, and the collections of University of Californiaof IISR (Indian Institute of Spices Research) and that of some botanical gardens.
The most popular flavor on the planet
The aroma extracted from Vanilla spp. It is the most popular and widely used in the world. Vanilla contains about 300 chemical compounds, responsible for a unique aroma and with a wide variety of uses. It is used in ice cream, sweets, bakery products, beverages and food flavorings and in cosmetics. About 97% of vanilla is used for fragrances and scents.
“Our collection is unprecedented because Brazil has numerous wild species of the Vanilla genus that have never been explored and that have recently gained value, being able to be used not only in the gastronomy segment but also in the cosmetics industry”reports Roberto Vieiraresearcher at Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnologyleader of the research project on Brazilian vanilla.
The relevance of Embrapa’s collection of vanilla germplasm is not only due to the interesting characteristics from an olfactory point of view for gastronomic use, but also helps in the search for materials resistant to diseases.
“Vanilla suffers a lot from health problems, such as viruses and fungi. From the genetic material collected by the project team we also hope to find materials with genes resistant to these diseases, especially Fusarium, which is a very critical fungus in vanillas.” emphasizes the researcher, revealing that there are several perspectives for using this bank, ranging from encouraging small producers to obtain a product with greater added value to establishing partnerships with companies and industries interested in the commercial use of the species.
Incentive to the production of native species
The vanilla production chain in Brazil is not yet structured and its exploitation depends on extractive processes for the commercialization of the fruits. Much of the technical material available is aimed at vanilla planifolia, Mexican species that is cultivated all over the world. According to Vieira, to encourage producers, who lack information, the team has held workshops aimed at bringing technical knowledge and, at the same time, gathering and getting to know the public that works with the species.
The project’s researchers have already started to gather data with technical information that will fill the gap that exists regarding Brazilian species. They will make available, by the end of 2022, a booklet with content ranging from the production of seedlings to the processing of vanilla fruits. “The expectation is to leave the extractive model and move to cultivation”observes the Embrapa researcher.
One of the challenges for the Embrapa Units involved in the research is the domestication of the crop with the development of cultivation techniques and protocols to replace the current extractive model in force in the country. With this, the scientists intend to help the inclusion of Brazilian native vanillas in the market, expanding its offer and providing the opportunity to add value to a local product and the development of rural communities that produce this raw material. Scientists believe that the local species have interesting and different characteristics compared to those existing in the international market and that, precisely for this reason, they are able to meet the demands of haute cuisine.
Where are the vanillas from Brazil
Although the genus Vanilla has a wide distribution in Brazil, occurring in all states and the Federal District, three species are considered of current economic value or potential use: Vanilla bahiana, V. chamissonis and V. pompona.
Vanilla bahiana is widely distributed in the Southeast and Northeast regions. V. chamissonis has a wide geographic distribution in Brazil, from the eastern end to the western end, being present in the five regions of the country. V. pompona is currently known in the Southeast, Northeast, Midwest and North regions.
Marketplace
Currently, Madagascar is the world’s largest producer of vanilla. Commonly found types are: Bourbon, Mexican vanilla, Tahitian vanilla, and West Indian vanilla. Of the varieties available on the market, the one from Madagascar is the most used, occupying more than 70% of the international market, while the remaining types are from Tahiti and Mexico.
The demand for this product is greater than the supply, probably because the production of the main suppliers of raw materials, such as Madagascar and Indonesia, shows a reduction in productivity, due to diseases and climatic adversities.
Considering that the propagation of vanilla is essentially vegetative, through cuttings, the genetic basis in producing countries is very small, exposing the crops to biological and environmental risks. The price of cured vanilla is set by international companies, and is usually similar to the price in Madagascar. In the last three years, these companies charged about 50 dollars per kilo of product. In some cases, small quantities of gourmet fava beans were sold at $80 a kilo.
From Goiás, Brazilian vanilla reaches the world
It was the Danish chef Simon Lau, who has lived in Brasília since the 1990s, who “discovered” vanilla from the Cerrado and introduced them as an ingredient in the region’s haute cuisine. When a street vendor knocked on the door of his home in the city of Goiás, Lau bought all the fava beans he carried in a shoebox. Enormous when compared to commercial fava beans (up to 25 centimeters), they became widespread in the gastronomic environment and were taken to a festival in Spain by chef Alex Atala. The story is told by gastrologist and Brazilian vanilla researcher, Cláudia Nasser.
“The aromatic and flavor potential of the Brazilian spice is spreading through the world of gastronomy”says.
Reputable chefs have already incorporated it into their recipes. Emiliana Azambuja created the Cerrado cashew vinaigrette with vanilla oil. Humberto Marra uses it in a salted caramel served over pork. The ingredient is also being used in the manufacture of chocolates, kombuchas and other products on a small scale.
In the city of Goiás, they are everywhere – in the historic center, in the churchyard, on the outskirts and especially in the countryside, and even in gardens and backyards of houses in urban areas. There, they have been used for over 200 years by its inhabitants, mainly for medicinal purposes, to treat coughs, sore throats and other diseases of the respiratory tract. In her cookbook, writer Cora Coralina has recorded the use of vanilla since the 18th century.
Most of the beans from Goiás come from extractivism and production practices — harvesting, curing and use — follow the techniques acquired from their ancestors. In the so-called El Dorado das Vanillas, by Nasser, the curing of the pod — a process to release the typical aroma and odor of the spice — is finished in honey, sugar, grain alcohol or cachaça, since its use is usually medicinal or in sweets. .
For the Brazilian ingredient to gain space in the market, the cure must be carried out following processes that allow the sale of the fava in natura, meeting the demands of the gastronomic market.
However, the appreciation of the ingredient has led to a disorderly extractivism, which can cause an imbalance in the production of plants, warns the gastrologist: “We need to understand the formation of the Brazilian vanilla production chain in order to have a sustainable and fair process that can help the family farmers’ income. Today, a bean from Goiás is sold for R$ 20.00 and on the Internet, we can find it for up to R$ 180.00”.
the collection work
In 4 days, researchers traveled to areas of the state of Goiás where vanilla is known by the population. In the municipality of Nova América, which was once called Vanilha, and in Itapirapuã, around 30 seedlings of different species – pompom vanilla, v. bahiana, V. Chamissonis and one yet to be identified – were collected and incorporated into the first germplasm bank of the species, at the Embrapa Genetic Bank.
“The objective of the collections is to increase the genetic diversity of the accessions of the germplasm bank and to search for materials with superior characteristics of interest for the project”account Fernando Rocharesearcher at Embrapa Cerrados who participated in the activity. The collection was carried out with the collaboration of people from the region, who know the places where the remnants of the species are.
In Nova América, the team, also made up of researchers Marília Pappas and Wanderlei Lima and the technician Ismael Silva Gomes, had the collaboration of Vera Lúcia Pimenta, a descendant of the city’s pioneers in collecting materials. Other collections will be carried out later this year, in Mato Grosso, Bahia, Espírito Santo and Goiás.
The material, in addition to composing the genetic bank, will be used in studies on the species. A first shipment of seedlings was planted in a native area of Embrapa Cerrados. “The working collection will be formed by the main species with commercial potential”, says Rocha when informing that the material will be characterized, multiplied and used in experiments for the development of the culture processes.
In Brasília, rural producer Rubens Bartholo de Oliveira cures the beans from his first crop. With the use of an electric incubator, he tests the best combination of temperature and humidity so that, at the end of the process, his vanillas have the best quality. On his property, he maintains two screens, one of which is already in full production of the species. pompom and bahianacoming from the Cerrado of Goiás.
A culture enthusiast, he became interested in its cultivation when he learned of the delicacy’s repercussion in the gastronomic market. To do so, he studied the plant, researched its cultivation and the curing of fava beans, and went to Mexico to take a course at the Centro Mexicano de Investigación in Vainilla (Cemivac).
On the second screen, with walls made of coconut husk substrate, Oliveira grows different species from the most varied places – planifolia and tahitensis, from Pará; pompomfrom São Paulo, and bahianafrom Goiás, in addition to palmarum, chamissonis, cribiana and caliculata.
“Fruits have more than two hundred aromatic compounds – vanillin is just one of them. In addition to different levels of vanillin, each species has a unique combination of aromas.”explains Rocha.
Oliveira waits for his plants to start bearing fruit so he can identify which ones are best for his business. “I believe the vanilla chain can work here in the region”bets the producer who will soon start selling vanilla beans from the Cerrado.
By Deva Heberlê and Juliana Miura
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