Quality of Artificial Vanilla Flavoring?

Question

Is there any way, besides relying on taste or sending the product to a lab, to determine the concentrations of methyl and ethyl vanillins in artificial vanilla flavoring? I hear that a quality product can rival real vanilla extract in flavor in baking applications, but I have no way of determining quality, as ingredient lists are not useful; ingredient quantities are not listed.

A Cook's Illustrated Magazine article stated that even their expert tasters could not detect the difference between a HIGH QUALITY artificial vanilla extract and real vanilla extract in an application where a large amount of HEAT was involved. Vanillin is the main ingredient in REAL vanilla extract, many of the other flavors present in real vanilla dissipate in the heat of the oven or the cooktop.

Answer 1

I think real vanilla is much better than artificial. I always use real vanilla when I bake--or I use Southern Comfort instead.

Answer 2

I'm sorry that I don't have the expertise to address the chemistry part of your question, but I can tell you that there's no comparison between real vanilla and the artificial kind. It's like assuming that all vodka should taste about the same--it doesn't.
Real vanilla can vary from some real high end stuff that's more potent, to whatever you can find at Wal-Mart for the lowest price...but even those will trump the fake stuff. The only necessary use for artificial vanilla is to keep white frosting white.
There's a clear artificial vanilla out there, made by Wilton--but I can taste the difference.

Answer 3

Is vanilla extract so hard to come by that they have to synthesize vanilla flavoring? I don't understand why anyone would bother.

Answer 4

If you don't want to send it to a lab and it is that important, you could buy your own GC. That will give you exact concentrations.