Introduction. The heat treatments applied to vanilla beans (Vanilla planifolia G. Jackson) during processing have various objectives, which include encouraging the hydrolysis of the glucosylated precursors of the aroma components by one (or several) endogenous glucosidase(s). The glucosides of the vanilla bean. Fifteen glucosides have been identified in the green fruit, of which glucovanillin is the most abundant. It can reach concentrations of up to 15% of fruit dry matter about 30 weeks after pollination, and represents the main form of accumulation of vanillin. β-D-glucosidase(s) of the vanilla bean. A β-D-glucosidase from the vanilla bean was purified and characterised. However, several glucosidases may exist and have yet to be studied. The glucosidase activity seems to be very unstable during the heat treatments. This raises questions about the process of glucoside hydrolysis during vanilla curing. Compartmentation between the glucosidase activity and glucosides in the vanilla bean. After various debates, it now appears that glucovanillin and glucosidase activity largely occur in the bean’s placental region. Their respective cellular localisation has yet to be determined. However, numerous elements support the hypothesis that enzymatic hydrolysis is regulated by a cellular compartmentation that differs between enzyme and substrate. Conclusion. A great deal of research work still needs to be conducted on the glucosides and glucosidase(s) of the vanilla bean. It would be particularly interesting to further our understanding of what occurs during the enzymatic hydrolysis of aroma precursors during curing.