Abstract: Vanilla extract was refined by organic solvent extraction. Different solvents were tested for their extractability using electronic nose and sensory evaluation. Solvent composition and number of extraction cycles were optimized for higher retention rates of major components. The volatile components before and after the extraction were compared by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the optimized conditions that provide maximum vanillin content (9.48%) were found to be extraction performed 3 times using a mixture (3:7, V/V) of ethyl acetate and n-butanol as extraction solvent. After the extraction, the proportion of aromatic compounds was increased from 35.58% to 51.00%, along with a decrease in the proportion of alkanes from 4.42% to 0.78%. These results can provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the comprehensive utilization of vanilla extract and product development.

Key words: vanilla, extract, flavor components