Madagascar essential oil

Eugenol occurs in essential oils and is a major constituent of carnation, cinnamon, and clove oils. The substance is primarily is obtained from the clove oil isolated from trees indigenous to the Molluca Islands, and which are also cultivated in other parts of Indonesia, Zanzibar, Madagascar, and Ceylon. Clove is rich in volatile oil (16-19% by weight), which can be obtained by distillation. 

Chalchat, J.C. and Valade, I. (2000) Chemical composition of leaf oils of Cinnamomum from Madagascar C. zeylanicum Blume, C. camphora L., C. fragrans Bail Ion and C. angustifolium. Journal of Essential Oil Research 12, 537-540. 

Table 8.7. Essential oil composition of clove bud and leaf from India and Madagascar.

Caydou, E.M. and Randriamiharisoa, R. (1987) Multidimensional analysis of gas chromatographic data, application to the differentiation of clove bud and clove stem essential oils from Madagascar. Perfumer and Flavorist 12, 45-51. 

Srivastava, A.K., Srivastava, S.K. and Syamsundar, K.V. (2005) Bud and leaf essential oil composition of Syzygium aromaticum from India and Madagascar. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 20(1), 51-53. 

These two monocyclic terpene alcohols also occur in many essential oils but not in large quantities. Their enantiomeric composition has been investigated in essential oils from Rutaceae family, essential oils from Madagascar and many others [31,33,35,49-51]. 

Characterization of Essential Oils from Cinnamomum camphora T. Nees Eberm. and Ravensara aromatica Sonnerat from Madagascar... 

Indigenous essential oils from Madagascar are important for income generation. Madagascar has been a significant exporter of essential oils, thus the country has tremendous potential to further expand the essential oil industry. However, the misirrformation of their essential oils and the lack of standards to define product identity and qrrahty are among some of the problems and obstacles that affect the industry (7-2). Typical examples of this lack of information are the ravintsara and raverrsara essential oils that have been traditionally misidentified in the marketplace 3-6). 

The essential oil of ravintsara is obtained from the leaves of Cinnamomum camphor a which was introduced from Taiwan and now is growing widely in Madagascar. This essential oil has been misreported and traded as raverrsara or Ravensara aromatica. The trae ravensara essential oil is extracted from the leaves of an endemic tree locally known as Havozo 6-10). 

Table II. Comparative Organoleptic and Physicochemical Properties of C. camphora and R. aromatica Essential Oils from Madagascar...

Table IIL Chemical Composition of Ravintsara (C. camphora) and Ravensara R. aromadca) Essential Oils from Madagascar.

Saro essential oil, produced in the Northwestern region of Madagascar is of the second type and regular analyses of the essential oil chemical composition for over a year has shown it to be stable with a level of 1,8-cineole between 40 to 55 % (Table 11). 

Madagascan Saro essential oil was found to have an attractive odor with a fresh eucalyptus type aroma, being the oil dominated by 1,8-cineole. The oil was found to be safe for human use, with low irritation levels, no mutagenicity and cytotoxicity. This EO also showed antimicrobial activity against several mold and bacteria. Due to its favorable organoleptic and chemical profiles, its safety and effective microbial activity, this oil may have application in the cosmetic, perfumeiy and pharmaceutical industries. The identification of new uses and application of essential oils, can ultimately assist rural communities in Madagascar by generating interest and market access to their products only if these new applications find a sustainable market. 

The objective of this research was to characterize the essential oil and oleoresin composition of ginger rhizomes from Madagascar and to compare them with rhizomes coming from China, India and Indonesia. The work is part of a study conducted by the Centre de Recherche Cosmetique (CRC) of CHANEL to find new ginger varieties with unique characteristic for the cosmetic industry. 

Tablel. Essential oil and oleoresin yields of ginger Zingiber officinale) rhizomes from China, India, Indonesia and Madagascar.

Maggi, F., Randriana, R. F., Rasoanaivo, R, Nicoletti, M., Quassinti, L., Bramucci, M. et al. (2013). Chemical composition and in vitro biological activites of the essential oil of Vepris macrophylla (Baker) I. Verd. endemic to Madagascar. Chem. Biodiv. 10, 356-366. 

Mollenbeck S., Konig T, Schreier P., Schwab W., RaJaonarivony J., Ranarivelo, 1997, Chemical composition and analyses of enantiomeres of essential oils from Madagascar, FlayourFra., 12, 63-69. 

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