Industrial uses, of essential oils

The use of essential oils is restricted by their price, availability and chemical stability. Many of the components of natural oils do not survive in products such as bleaches, laundry powders and even soaps. For example, the major component in jasmine oil is benzyl acetate, which is hydrolysed in all of these owing to their high pH (13-14, 10-11 and 9-10, respectively) and it is also susceptible to the oxidants present in the first two. The indole present in jasmine will cause soap to discolour. The discovery and application of synthetic fragrance materials towards the end of the nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth was therefore a momentous event in the history of the industry. Nowadays, fragrances... 

Proven uses of essential oils and their components are found in industry, for example, foods, cosmetic products, and household products. They impart the required odor or avor to food, cosmetics and perfumery, tobacco, and textiles. Essential oils are also used in the paint industry, which capitalizes on the exceptional cleaning properties of certain oils. This, together with their embalming properties, suggests that essential oils are very potent and dangerous chemicals—not the sort of natural products to massage into the skin ... 

The various elds of applications sometimes cause the client industries to require special essential oils. One of the reasons is of course the price. The end-consumer industry settles the prices for the market. Competitive prices have to be adjusted and the problem for the use of essential oils is that prices can change from crop to crop or even from week to week. 

The period when essential oils were used rst on an industrial scale is dif cult to identify. The nineteenth century is generally regarded as the commencement of the modern phase of industrial application of essential oils. However, the large-scale usage of essential oils dates back to ancient Egypt. In 1480, Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt sent an expedition to the country of Punt (now Somalia) to... 

The use of essential oils was exploited in several industries however, the extreme utilization rate of essential oils was reported to have in aroma and flavor industries [39]. Essential oils have been used widely in industries [39, 44, 49, 50]. Also, the role of essential oil components has been exploited vigorously in several beneficial industries to secure the antimicrobial efficacy in food and agricultural industries [43, 51]. Combinations of various essential oils with natural and herbal forms are also available in the market for their practical utilization [39, 52, 53]. 

Applications. The most ubiquitous use of infrared spectrometry is chemical identification. It has long been an important tool for studying newly synthesi2ed compounds in the research lab, but industrial identification uses cover an even wider range. In many industries ir spectrometry is used to assay feedstocks (qv). In the flavors (see Flavors and spices), fragrances (see Perfumes), and cosmetics (qv) industries, it can be used not only for gross identification of feedstocks, but for determining specific sources. The spectra of essential oils (see Oils, essential), essences, and other natural products vary with the season and source. Adulteration and dilution can also be identified. 

Essential oils are obtained from fmits and flowers (61,62). Volatile esters of short- and medium-chain carboxyHc acids or aromatic carboxyHc acids with short- and medium-chain alcohols are primary constituents of essential oils, eg, ethyl acetate in wines, brandy, and in fmits such as pineapple ben2yl acetate in jasmine and gardenia methyl saHcylate in oils of wintergreen and sweet birch. Most of these naturally occurring esters in essential oils have pleasant odors, and either they or their synthetic counterparts are used in the confectionery, beverage, perfume, cosmetic, and soap industries (see Oils, essential). 

GA is well recognized as emulsifier used in essential oil and flavor industries. Randall et al., 1998, reported that the AGP complex is the main component responsible for GA ability to stabilize emulsions, by the association of the AGP amphiphilic protein component with the surface of oil droplets, while the hydrophilic carbohydrate fraction is oriented toward the aqueous phase, preventing aggregation of the droplets by electrostatic repulsion. However, only 1-2% of the gum is absorbed into the oil-water interface and participates in the emulsification thus, over 12% of GA content is required to stabilize emulsions with 20%... 

The encapsulation of various essential oils has intrigued the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries for some time. Several encapsulation systems based on the complex coacervation of gelatin have been used to encapsulate a range of essential oils. However, variable results have been obtained, especially with citrus oils. 

Uses The alicyclic hydrocarbons have numerous industrial applications. Cyclopropane (C3H6) is used as an anesthetic. Cyclohexane (CgH ) is used as a chemical intermediate as an organic solvent for oils, fats, waxes, and resins and for the extraction of essential oils in perfume manufacturing industries. Cyclohexene (C6H10) is used in the manufacture of maleic acid, cyclohexane carboxylic acid, and adipic acid. Methyl cyclohexane (C7H14) is used for the production of organic synthetics such as cellulose ethers. These compounds are used in different industries such as adipic acid makers, benzene makers, fat processors, fungicide makers, lacquerers, nylon makers, oil processors, paint removers, plastic molders, resin makers, rubber makers, varnish removers, and wax makers. 

Secondary metabolites include essential oils, used in the flavour and fragrance industries. Essential oils are found in over 50 plant families and represent terpenoids and other aromatic compounds accumulating typically at relatively low concentrations (usually <1% of fresh weight, but can be up to 20%), but which have useful antimicrobial activity (Biavati el a/., 2003). Production of essential oils by plants is affected by many factors influencing plant growth. 

---