Vanilla-producing regions in Mexico and around the world are experiencing declining yields due to global climate change. However, Mexico, Guatemala, and other parts of Central America possess underutilized genetic resources within the Vanilla genus, which can be used to increase their production. One such resource is Vanilla cribbiana Soto Arenas, known as Maya vanilla, which is native to Guatemala and Mexico. This study evaluated some of the physical and chemical characteristics as well as the aromatic and fatty acid profiles of cured vanilla pods of Maya vanilla. A 5 kg batch of cured vanilla pods from Cobán, Guatemala, was analyzed for length, weight, humidity content, and proximate chemical composition and aromatic profile using HPLC-DAD and GC-MS. The pod lengths ranged from 6 to 16 cm, and weights ranged from 2.2 to 8.2 g. The humidity content varied between 22% and 38.63%. The main component in the cured vanilla pods was insoluble crude fiber (51.18%). The vanillin, vanillic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde concentrations in the cured vanilla beans were 2.13 ± 0.68, 0.105 ± 0.035, 0.38 ± 0.05, and 0.345 ± 0.115 g/100 g dry matter, respectively. A total of 70 volatile compounds were identified with GC-MS—16 acids, 12 alcohols, 8 aldehydes, 15 esters, 12 hydrocarbons, 5 ketones, and 2 furans—among which were compounds characteristic of other commercial vanilla species. Oleic acid and linoleic acid represented over 82% of the total fatty acids. This study provides fundamental insights into the physicochemical and aromatic characteristics of Maya vanilla, highlighting the differences between this species and vanilla species traditionally used in commerce. Vanilla cribbiana Soto Arenas represents an excellent alternative for the vanilla market as a flavoring agent for the food and perfume industries.

Introduction. Vanilla is grown in agroecosystems under varying management intensities, with particular environmental characteristics that could be unfavorable for the orchid. Atmospheric conditions are important due to climate change. Objective. To characterize the climatic and microclimatic conditions of three vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews) production systems. Materials and methods. The study was carried out in three vanilla production systems located in Veracruz and Oaxaca, Mexico. Three management intensities were used: a) acahual, under the shade of various tree species; (b) monoculture, interspersed with an arboreal species; and (c) shade mesh (with artificial shade). One year of monitoring was carried out (December-2020 to November-2021), which included four climatic seasons, two cold and two warm. Climatic variables (region) and microclimatic (plot) variables were measured: temperature (T), relative humidity (HR), and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, only in the microclimate), with automated stations; in addition, the vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was calculated. Results. On a daily scale, climatic conditions as microclimatic in the acahual were more favorable for vanilla cultivation in the four seasons evaluated; the monoculture and the shade mesh experienced humidity and temperature conditions outside the agroclimatic requirements of vanilla, mainly in March-May (MAM), with Tmax >32 ¡C and RH 2 kPa) indicated longer periods of water stress in these systems. Conclusions. The monoculture and the shade mesh presented unfavorable humidity and temperature conditions for vanilla, with more periods of water stress. The acahual presented the most convenient climatic and microclimatic conditions for the cultivation of vanilla.

Vanilla planifolia es la principal fuente vegetal de vainillina, saborizante de amplia importancia comercial. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vanillae, principal patógeno de V. planifolia, ha devastado cultivos enteros a nivel mundial. Vanilla pompona poseé resistencia a patógenos comunes del género. Variaciones climáticas extremas repercuten en las interacciones planta-patógeno. A partir del supuesto de que temperaturas superiores a 28 ºC intensifican la infectividad de F. oxysporum en vainilla, se determinó la influencia del incremento de la temperatura en la infectividad de F. oxysporum f. sp. vanillae (cepa M21C5) en V. planifolia y dos híbridos de V. planifolia x V. pompona. Se inocularon raíces de esquejes de V. planifolia y de los híbridos con suspensiones de esporas del hongo. Se midió el avance de la enfermedad durante 60 días a 25, 30 y 35 ºC. Se emplearon cinco réplicas por tratamiento, incluyendo un lote testigo. Se utilizó ANOVA post hoc Tukey (P = 0.05) para analizar los datos. V. planifolia fue suceptible a 35 °C y altamente suceptible a 25 y 30 °C. Ambos híbridos mostraron resistencia al patógeno en las temperaturas evaluadas. Por la resistencia mostrada, los híbridos de V. planifolia x V. pompona son una alternativa viable ante el patógeno.

This work presents a developed and validated high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detection (HPLC–DAD) method for the separation and quantification of divanillin and 8 compounds (p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, vanillyl alcohol, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, vanillin, anisyl alcohol and anisic acid) present in Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews. Chromatographic separation was achieved in 15 min using A Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle size). Gradient elution was performed using a solvent mixture of water, methanol and acidified water (10^–2 M H₃PO₄), at a flow rate of 2.25 mL/min with detection at 230, 254 and 280 nm. The method was comprehensively validated according to the International Conference of Harmonization (ICH) Q2 (R1) guidelines. The method was linear in 0.1–200 mg/L concentration range with coefficient of determination (r²) higher than 0.99. The percentage recovery ranged from 98.04 to 101.83% with a relative standard deviation of less than 2%, confirming the method's accuracy and precision for the analysis of nine compounds. Existing methods for analyzing aromatic compounds in vanilla, such as HPLC–DAD, GC–MS, and NMR, often overlook divanillin or lack validated protocols for its quantification alongside other compounds. This study presents a significant advancement by developing a robust, validated HPLC–DAD method that enables the simultaneous quantification of divanillin, vanillin, and other key phenolic compounds with evidence of divanillin presence in all analyzed samples in cured pods of Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews, with concentrations ranging from 0.002 to 0.02 g/100g dry weight.

Wild vanilla populations with high aromatic potential and morphological affinity to Vanilla odorata have been identified in Oaxaca, Mexico. This study employed morphologic and molecular taxonomic approaches to characterize plant material collected from the field and subsequently maintained under uniform conditions at the Tecnológico Nacional de México Tuxtepec campus germplasm bank. Morphological characterization of the three populations was conducted, and genetic analyses of 155 accessions (2365 SNPs) were performed using Genotyping by Sequencing. The morphological analyses revealed clear differences in vegetative and reproductive traits among the studied accessions. Phylogenetic and STRUCTURE analyses identified three groups within the V. odorata-like clade: a pure group, and two hybrid groups involving V. odorata and V. insignis or V. cribbiana. These findings reveal a high level of phenotypic and genetic diversity within wild vanilla populations from Oaxaca and suggest that hybridization may have played an important role in the evolutionary history of the group. Furthermore, the results challenge the current taxonomic circumscription of Vanilla odorata, indicating that its taxonomic identity and evolutionary origin require re-evaluation. This study provides new insights into the diversification and taxonomy of aromatic wild vanilla species in Mesoamerica.

Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews pods can lose up to 50% of their vanillin during curing. One explanation for this is the transformation of vanillin due to enzyme action, such as peroxidases, which generate the formation of dimers like divanillin. Therefore, in this work, a simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatography method (HPLC-DAD) was developed and validated for the separation and quantification of the main compounds present in Vanilla planifolia Jacks. ex Andrews and divanillin. The separation of 9 compounds of interest was achieved within 15 minutes using a Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle size). The variables optimized included the mobile phase (water as solvent A, methanol as solvent B, and acidified water, 10–2 M H3PO4, as solvent C), the separation gradient, and the column tempera-ture (40-60 °C). The maximum divanillin content was 0.02 g/100 g d.w. in a sample from Papantla de Olarte. Chromatographic performance evaluation revealed excellent resolution, retention factor, and selectivity. The method was successfully validated in terms of limits of detection and quantification, linearity, and precision, as well as its application to cured pods, with evidence of divanillin presence in all analyzed sample.