Japanese researchers have succeeded in making the sweet smell of vanilla come out of the last thing people could imagine — cow dung. In a world-first recycling project, a one-hour heating and pressuring process allows cow faeces to produce vanillin, the main component of the vanilla-bean extract, according to researcher Mayu Yamamoto. The vanillin extracted from the faeces could be used in products such as shampoo and aromatic candles but not in food, said Yamamoto, who works for the Research Institute of the state-run International Medical Centre of Japan. Compared with usual vanilla, "this component is exactly the same but it would be difficult for people to accept it in food, given the recent rules of disclosing the origins of ingredients", she said. :: Via Cool Tech

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