Reusing vanilla oleoresin?

[Norther]

Hi, so I infused some carrier oil with vanilla oleoresin for about a week. Now I'm planning to strain it, since I obviously don't want the resin to stay there... My question if I can reuse the same oleoresin to infuse more oil later if I wish with the same effect. Or does it degrade and not give the same result?

 

[pkiler]

You arte indeed trying to extract the odorous molecules in the infusion. Does it still smell after removal?
If it does, you may be able to reuse the same resinoid again, but you should probably count on using maybe a total of 4-8X other batches of spent resinoid to hope to get something useful out of the second infusion.

 

[Alex F.]

If I understand you correctly and you're using a vanilla extract, then there shouldn't be any "resin" to filter off. Solubility in oil will depend on the method of extraction, and whether the extract is diluted or cut with something.
- Vanilla "oleoresins" aren't really resins, they are vanilla pod extracts, usually produced via hydrocarbon extraction - such extracts are oil-soluble. But I've seen products from alcohol extractions sold as "oleoresins", too (although such are usually called absolutes, as far as I know) - these are only partially soluble in oil. (See Arctander's Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, 1960, p. 645.)
- Extracts of expensive materials are, unfortunately, often cut with cheaper materials. And they are often sold diluted in some carrier already. These factors may also play a part in the solubility of the product.

(PS: For oil-based perfumes, you could try making your own oil-based extracts of ground vanilla pods. I haven't tried that and don't know if it would work well, but I'd expect that some heat would be needed. Or did I misunderstand and that's what you're doing already?)