Speakers
Preparing for the "Apocalypse of Vanilla:" Fact or Fiction?
Dr. Daphna Havkin Frenkel
Bakto Flavors, LLC
This talk will refute an article written for the New York Times this past summer entitled “This is How the World’s Favorite Scent Disappears.” Since its publication, it has been cited and covered extensively by many as a fact. However, the publication has over 15 errors that members of the vanilla industry can easily dispute. Despite being published in the NYT, a publication that is one of the most highly regarded in the world, it is riddled with errors and problematic assertions, all of which I will discuss in this presentation. I will be covering three main subjects. The first is the effects of global warming on the past, present, and future of vanilla production. The second is the myth of the “beaver glands” that many fear will replace vanilla. Finally, we will answer the question of replacing vanilla if absolutely necessary.
Dr. Daphna Havkin Frenkel has unique qualifications. She holds a BS and an MS in Agriculture from Hebrew University. Additionally, she obtained a Ph.D. in Food Science and Biotechnology and an MBA from Rutgers University. From 1990-2003, she was the Director of the BioVan Group at David Michael, Inc. (currently IFF). Dr. Havkin Frenkel has over 35 years of experience in food science and natural flavors, with a specialty in all aspects of vanilla. She has published extensively, mainly on vanilla, and has been invited to worldwide symposiums as a speaker on the subject. Her most well-known work is Vanilla Science and Technology, published with Dr. Faith Belanger of Rutgers University.
Daphna was the first to organize an international congress on vanilla in Princeton, NJ, in 2003. Following this conference, she has continued holding these symposiums annually in major vanilla-producing countries. She has also organized vanilla courses at Rutgers's Plant Science Department and was a Visiting Scientist from 1992-2022. She divides her time between researching the development of new vanilla products at Bakto Flavors, LLC in Edison, NJ, continues to study how vanilla produces vanillin, the latter of which she does alongside scientists from universities worldwide, and consults with vanilla producers globally on how to improve the spice. A list of publications is available upon request.