Abstract:
In view of developing an indigenous, cost effective method of extraction of natural
vanilla from vanilla planifolia, a prototype percolation type vanilla extractor was developed
and its performance evaluated. It was found from studies that ethanol is the best suited
solvent for extraction and the combination of concentration 60%, 30% and 15% ethanol;
each percolated at the rate of 2 hours per day for 5 days gave maximum vanillin content in
the extract. The main components of the developed extractor were extraction cylinder, hot
water jacket, cup assembly, frame assembly besides, a heater, thermostat, pump and power
supply unit. It is made of 22 gauge stainless steel with arrangements for heating and
controlling the temperature. The extractor was then evaluated for its performance. It was
found that the extraction efficiency of the extractor was 84.2% and evaporative loss was
12.9%. The capacity was 500gm which could be increased by increasing the number of cups
and overall dimensions. The developed equipment is simple in design, easy to operate and
maintain and can be fabricated locally with suitable modifications and refinements.
