readytorv

In the discussion regarding mexican vanilla I was made aware that some
of my vanilla was contaminated with coumadin.

I asked if vanilla from the Dominican Republic has the same problems
and received no reply that I saw.

I'm still trying to find out if this vanilla from the Dominican
Republic is contaminated and how I can find out if it is.

Anyone know?

jimmyjames

Taste it!

mike avery

Not sure how good an idea that is. Coumarin is a blood thinner, and is
an active ingredient in some rat poisons, if memory serves.


As is so often the case, google is your friend. Search for "vanilla
dominican republic coumarin". Among other things, I found

http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia2807.html which mentions that
at least one company's product was seized at the border.

FIRM: PRODUCT/CODE

Centro Dominicano de Promocion Vanilla Extract/28C--51
Plaza de la Independcia
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

If you buy vanilla in Mexico or the Domincan Republic or other less developed nations, you are running a risk. If you buy it in the US, you are considerably safer. If you bought it in the US, I'd enjoy it without a second thought.

Mike

FEI# 1000290693

eric jorgensen

On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 08:33:47 -0600

'rat poison' has such a great mystique . . . . Until you're unemployed
for a while and end up riding around with your slacker friend who's a bug
man.

Not saying you should eat rat poison, but, here's the lowdown, very
simplified.

Pretty much all animal life depends to some extent on traces of vitamin
K in the diet. You don't need much.

Lots of animals have the ability to synthesize a little bit of vitamin
K. Birds can synthesize a lot. This means that if you're not getting it in
your diet, and typically you are, your body can turn some other things you
ate into enough vitamin K to get by.

Rodents can't.

A lot of poisons used on rodents specifically prevent their physiology
from recycling vitamin k, and they essentially die of a lack of vitamin k
in their bloodstream.

Coumarin, like most of the compounds used in most rat poisons, is
anticoagulant by nature of interfering with vitamin k. If you fear you've
ingested a lot of something like that very recently, eat some vitamin k.

This is one of the many points where you have a poison that's really
really poisonous for one sort of animal and not *as poisonous for another.

I am however in favor of eating less poison. Like my friend, he says
that the worst poison he uses on the job is a lot less poisonous than
clorox bleach, and most of them are less poisonous than windex, but he
still doesn't drive around handling poisons with his bare hands and
munching on finger foods all day.

freecycle mom

None of this really helps. Taste it? Does it differ in taste? I'm
willing to taste it, not drink it, but I need to know what I should be
looking for in difference.

The bottle says Vanilla Negra, Industrias Guiguena.c. por A. 16 oz
$12.

REG.SANITARIO 4957 REG IND 15058

And it has a bar code.

mike avery

Well, it's not the same company I mentioned in my previous post (you did
read all the way to the bottom, didn't you?).

And to repeat, in case you didn't, if you bought it in the USA, it's
almost certainly safe. If you bought it in Mexico or the Dominican
Republic, it's not as likely to be safe.

Mike

marcella peek

I don't know the answer but you can check this site:

http://www.vanilla.com/html/facts-mexican.html

At the bottom is a link to e-mail the owner. She might be able to
answer your question for you.

marcella

considering the amount of vanilla used in most recipes I would not be
overly concerned unless you are eating an enormous amount of it.

If you are really concerned the Poison Center (I forget its real name
but is in the phone book, emergency numbers) or the FDA should be able
to tell you if it was a legal import.

If you eat a cookie made with it and start bleeding from every bodily
orifice then you know it is bad.

freecycle mom

I did read all the way to the bottom. I checked the site and the
maker of my vanilla was on the list. If you read MY message it stated
it was given to me by my son, who purchased it .... in the Dominican
Republic. Now admittedly the banned substance is not vanilla, but if
one is banned how safe is another of their product?

INDUSTRIAS GUIGUENA CxA
SANTO DOMINGO DO-01, DO 10131 FLA-DO
606-0081198-2/5/1J
28CGY02 Almendra Concentrate
10-JUN-2004 UNAPPROVED

freecycle mom

Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to respond.