Vanilla: The Second Costliest Spice of the World.

After saffron, the vanilla is the second costliest spice in the world. The chances of it becoming more costly, as its production has declined this year in Madagascar, the largest vanilla producing country.  

Vanilla Flower and beans
Wikimedia Commons by H. Zell

 

Vanilla is used from edible products like ice cream, cake, biscuit, curd, and chocolate etc., to cosmetic products like perfumes, moisturizer, shampoos, and soaps. 

The prices of vanilla are increasing from 2014 onwards and now it is the second costliest spice of the world.

The 80% of the global demand of vanilla is fulfilled by Madagascar, but this year a storm completely destroyed the entire vanilla crop on this island country.

There are every possibility that the bourbon vanilla produced in Madagascar reunion and Comoro islands will become more costly.

Along with natural calamities the vanilla producers of Madagascar have to face several challenges. The biggest problem is that of premature plucking of vanilla. For the fear of theft, the farmers pluck the vanilla in the month of March, while the crop ripens in June.

Last year the price of vanilla was from Rupees 25,600 to 38,000 in Madagascar. But the demand for vanilla has not come down even after the drastic increase in its prices.

Last year the total export of vanilla from Madagascar was 1800 to 2000 tons.

Another reason for the escalation in the prices of vanilla is the increase in its demand.

In truth, the trends for the use of real vanilla has increased not only in America and Asia but also in Europe.  

Due to the increasing prices of vanilla, several countries India and Uganda are trying to hands at the farming of it.

But the prices of vanilla are not likely to come down even after its production in other countries, as the vines yield the fruits after four years.

New Cloth Fiber Will Generate Electricity

Recently the scientists have discovered a modern fiber which has the power to generate electricity when it is slightly bent or twisted. This flexible fiber is made of the nanotube. The size of these carbon grains is 10,000 times smaller than the human hair. This is capable of generating electricity from several natural sources. It generates energy by using the activities of sea waves and the small human movements.

It is has been named twistron yarn.

Carter Heinz, the chief author of an article published in “The Science Journal’ explains that one can imagine about “twistron harvester” as a fiber which generates electricity when it is pulled.

In this concept, the nanotube capability is used by the device to convert the spring-like movement into electrical energy. It could be used at several places.

In laboratory experiments, the fiber of a weight less than that of the fly was successful to generate electricity which could light a LED tube.

When attached to the shirt, this fiber was effectively generated sufficient energy to run a breathing sensor. The breathing sensor is used for the surveillance of the babies.

Prof. Ray Brown Texas University of Dallas, who was involved in this research, says that this fiber could be used in smart clothes connected to the internet. 

He said that the commercial world is very much interested in the manufacture of Electronic Clothes, but how such clothes would be energized.

Now the need of battery would come to an end when energy is generated by the movements of the man.

However, the most exclusive quality of the twistron fiber is its ability to work in the sea and to generate energy from the sea waves.

During an experiment conducted in South Korea, it was found that the fiber generated electricity with every sea wave when a small twistron was attached to a thing which could repeatedly sink and float.

Prof. Ray says that this technique could be used in future to build powerhouses in the sea. At that time this fiber would be able to generate electricity for the entire city.

At present this technique is very costly.    

At Paris, both the developed and the developing nations in Climate Agreement have sworn to reduce the production of greenhouse gases. Generally, these gases are produced when the fossil fuels are burnt. But the use of twistron fiber will drastically reduce or even end the dependability of man on fossil fuels.