In order to be labeled as 'pure' vanilla, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that it:

In order to be labeled as 'pure' vanilla, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that it:

• A. be certified as an artificial flavor
• B. contain the small black flecks from the vanilla pod.
• C. contain 35% alcohol by volume
• D. contain 200 ppm vanillin

Answer: (C)

FDA defines vanilla extract as a product obtained by soaking vanilla beans in a solution of alcohol and water, and it must contain not less than 35% alcohol by volume. This alcohol content is what makes the product an extract rather than a flavoring oil or artificial flavor, and it helps preserve and carry the vanilla compounds—so a minimum 35% ABV is the essential criterion for labeling something as pure vanilla. The other features listed aren’t what establishes purity: there’s no requirement to be certified as an artificial flavor, to show visible vanilla bean flecks, or to fix a specific vanillin concentration. Vanillin itself is just one flavor compound among many present in real vanilla, and the defining standard here is the alcohol content that qualifies it as vanilla extract.

FDA defines vanilla extract as a product obtained by soaking vanilla beans in a solution of alcohol and water, and it must contain not less than 35% alcohol by volume. This alcohol content is what makes the product an extract rather than a flavoring oil or artificial flavor, and it helps preserve and carry the vanilla compounds—so a minimum 35% ABV is the essential criterion for labeling something as pure vanilla. The other features listed aren’t what establishes purity: there’s no requirement to be certified as an artificial flavor, to show visible vanilla bean flecks, or to fix a specific vanillin concentration. Vanillin itself is just one flavor compound among many present in real vanilla, and the defining standard here is the alcohol content that qualifies it as vanilla extract.